NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Loretto, 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 Loretto, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Loretto
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Loretto; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Loretto begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Loretto has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 18 miles. Of the 71, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on December 18, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Loretto. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1971, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Loretto.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Loretto
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Loretto: 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 Loretto
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s13
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 56 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 15 mi | 14.54 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 25 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 23.82 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 2013 | EF2 | 15 mi | 6.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 0.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Loretto
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Loretto since 1971, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from May 19, 2022. July has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Loretto
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardstown 5E, KY, 12 miles north of Loretto at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 57 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (61%). Lebanon, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Bradfordsville, KY): 52.6 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.9 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.9 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 51.6 | 88 | 11.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bardstown 5E, KY (780 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 Loretto
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Loretto: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 4 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $442,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 28, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 21. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 119 have had fewer than Loretto.
December 21, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Loretto — 3 killed, 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
November 29, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Loretto — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
August 7, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Loretto — $250,000 damage.
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
Marion County, which includes Loretto, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 74th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (49%), 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 Loretto
- New Haven, KY9 mi
- Lebanon, KY11 mi
- Springfield, KY11 mi
- Bardstown, KY11 mi
- Hodgenville, KY18 mi
- Coxs Creek, KY20 mi
- Campbellsville, KY20 mi
- Bloomfield, KY20 mi
- Willisburg, KY20 mi
- Lebanon Junction, KY22 mi
- Magnolia, KY23 mi
- Elizabethtown, KY25 mi
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