NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lily, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lily, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Lily
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lily; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Lily begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 48 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Lily has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 16, 2025; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 33, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 9. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lily. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Lily has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Lily's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lily
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lily: 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 Lily
By decade
- 2020s2(1 EF3+)
- 2010s2
- 2000s10
- 1990s7
- 1980s4
- 1970s4(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 4 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7.15 mi | 6 / 40 |
| Jun 2, 2001 | F2 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 1 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 19 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lily
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Lily since 1959, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lily
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is London Corbin Airport, KY, 5 miles north of Lily at 1,188 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.4 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. That 51.4 inches is more than at 54 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (58%). Gray, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Barbourville, KY): 53.9 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.7 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 51.4 | 90 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at London Corbin Airport, KY (1,188 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 Lily
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 399 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lily: 304 thunderstorm wind reports, 53 flash floods, 33 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 1, 2016. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 53. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 250 have had fewer than Lily.
March 1, 2016: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lily — 3 injured.
August 19, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lily — 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
July 1, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lily — 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
Laurel County, which includes Lily, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Laurel County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.9 million a year, the 24th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.4 million (35%), 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.