NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lexington, KY
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lexington, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Lexington
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lexington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Lexington begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 31 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Lexington has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 7 people. Of the 75, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lexington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Lexington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lexington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lexington: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lexington
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s8
- 2000s7(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s10
- 1970s12(4 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 25 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 4 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 19.3 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lexington
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Lexington since 1955, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 10, 1966. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lexington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY, 7 miles west of Lexington at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 39 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (42%). Nicholasville, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Dix Dam, KY): 46.1 inches a year, 3.7 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 3.6 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 36 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 4.2 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 49.8 | 84 | 14.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY (980 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Lexington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 332 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lexington: 267 thunderstorm wind reports, 40 flash floods, 15 floods, 9 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 2, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 225 have had fewer than Lexington.
August 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Lexington — 1 killed.
NWS: “A was killed in Lexington when a tree was blown on to the vehicle he was driving.”
July 19, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lexington — 3 injured.
NWS: “A tent was blown over at the Bluegrass fair in Masterson Station Park. Three people were reported to be injured.”
June 8, 2007: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Lexington — 2 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Lexington's 15 ZIP codes have filed 465 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 84 claims (18% of all) and $652,000, then Not a named storm in 1978 with 21 and Heavy rains in 2004 with 11. The year with the most claims was 1992, with 54. 27% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 143 Kentucky cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 135 have fewer than Lexington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 84 | $652,000 |
| Not a named storm1978 | 21 | $302,000 |
| Heavy rains2004 | 11 | $80,000 |
Fayette County, which includes Lexington, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 22, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $113.2 million a year, the 2nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $52.7 million (47%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Lexington
- Nicholasville, KY10 mi
- Versailles, KY13 mi
- Georgetown, KY14 mi
- Wilmore, KY15 mi
- Midway, KY15 mi
- Winchester, KY18 mi
- Paris, KY19 mi
- Richmond, KY22 mi
- Stamping Ground, KY22 mi
- Salvisa, KY23 mi
- Frankfort, KY24 mi
- Lawrenceburg, KY25 mi
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