NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Madisonville, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Madisonville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Madisonville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Madisonville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Madisonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Madisonville. The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 9 miles. Of the 92, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Madisonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1959, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Madisonville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Madisonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Madisonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Madisonville: 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 Madisonville
By decade
- 2020s12(2 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s32(7 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 9 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 16 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 3 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 5 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 16 mi | 22.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 8.23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 14 mi | 2.02 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 23 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 14 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 6 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 16 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Madisonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Madisonville since 1959, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 12 days, most recently May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from September 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Madisonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Madisonville, KY, 2 miles northwest of Madisonville at 425 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 28°F. March is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 52.2 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. That 52.2 inches is more than at 66 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (71%). Dawson Springs, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Princeton 1 SE, KY): 51.1 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 50 | 32 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 60 | 39 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 49 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 50 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 40 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 48 | 32 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 52.2 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Madisonville, KY (425 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 Madisonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Madisonville: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 floods, 25 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 26, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 25. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 154 have had fewer than Madisonville.
July 2, 2022: lightning strike in Madisonville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 38-year-old man who was flying a remote-controlled plane was struck by lightning. He was airlifted to an out-of-state hospital, where he died several days later.”
February 27, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Madisonville — 2 injured, $80,000 damage.
NWS: “A mobile home was overturned and demolished. The occupants of the mobile home were slightly injured, receiving only scratches and bruises.”
June 3, 2009: lightning strike in Madisonville — 1 injured.
NWS: “A UPS truck driver was struck by lightning as he stepped down from his truck while making a delivery. He was treated and released from the local emergency room.”
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 Madisonville's ZIP code 42431 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $635,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 8% 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, 70 have fewer than Madisonville.
Hopkins County, which includes Madisonville, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). 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 Hopkins County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.6 million a year, the 22nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (37%), 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.