NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Louisa, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Louisa, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Louisa
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Louisa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Louisa begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 55 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Louisa is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 2 miles. Of the 13, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Louisa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1967, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Louisa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Louisa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 48 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 Louisa: 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 Louisa
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4(2 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 2 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 19 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 2016 | EF2 | 2 mi | 2.63 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 12, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 29.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 4 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2009 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1980 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2013 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Louisa
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Louisa since 1967, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 19, 1967. The most recent report is from June 17, 2022. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Louisa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charley 2 SW, KY, 10 miles southwest of Louisa at 740 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.0 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. That 46.0 inches is more than at 7 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (8%). Fort Gay, WV, 6 miles east, has its own station (Dunlow 1 SW, WV): 49.2 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 30 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 70 | 39 | 4.6 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 49 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 82 | 58 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 79 | 53 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 69 | 41 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Nov | 57 | 30 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 41 | 46.0 | 90 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charley 2 SW, KY (740 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 Louisa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 124 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Louisa: 94 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 13 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 10, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Louisa.
May 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Louisa — $200,000 damage.
July 17, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Louisa — $100,000 damage.
May 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Louisa — $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Louisa's ZIP code 41230 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $403,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 11% 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, 57 have fewer than Louisa.
Lawrence County, which includes Louisa, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 40 of them major disasters (by incident: 23 severe storms, 11 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 ice storms). 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 Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.4 million a year, the 45th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (85%), 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 Louisa
- Fort Gay, WV6 mi
- Prichard, WV12 mi
- Wayne, WV15 mi
- Inez, KY15 mi
- Rush, KY17 mi
- Paintsville, KY19 mi
- Lavalette, WV19 mi
- Catlettsburg, KY20 mi
- Staffordsville, KY20 mi
- Kermit, WV20 mi
- Kenova, WV22 mi
- Hagerhill, KY22 mi
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