NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marion, 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 Marion, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Marion
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Marion; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Marion begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 45 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Marion. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 24 miles. Of the 79, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 20 each. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Marion has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Marion.
Compare Marion's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Marion
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 56 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 Marion: 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 Marion
By decade
- 2020s12(3 EF3+)
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s31(6 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s3
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 24 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 23 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 15 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 20 mi | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 23 mi | 9.88 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 6 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 11 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 13 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 3 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 12 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Marion
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Marion since 1981, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently January 12, 2023. The most recent report is from September 27, 2023. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marion
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Providence, KY, 18 miles east of Marion at 409 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. That 48.5 inches is more than at 29 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (31%). Sturgis, 16 miles north, has its own station (Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN): 48.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 5.1 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 56 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 48.5 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Providence, KY (409 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 Marion
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marion: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 12 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $767,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 18, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 35 have had fewer than Marion.
April 4, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Marion — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “A young girl drowned in floodwaters on Highway 855 between Frances and Salem shortly before sunrise. The child was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her mother.”
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Marion — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “A mobile home was blown over, slightly injuring one occupant.”
September 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Marion — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The dust collector on top of a feed mill was blown off, leaving behind a large hole in the roof. A metal roof was torn off a shed behind a hardware store.”
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 Marion's ZIP code 42064 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2005, and were paid $255,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 70% 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, 0 have fewer than Marion.
Crittenden County, which includes Marion, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Crittenden County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.3 million a year, the 86th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (36%), 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 Marion
- Sturgis, KY16 mi
- Clay, KY16 mi
- Providence, KY17 mi
- Princeton, KY18 mi
- Kuttawa, KY19 mi
- Eddyville, KY19 mi
- Smithland, KY20 mi
- Dawson Springs, KY24 mi
- Dixon, KY24 mi
- Golconda, IL25 mi
- Morganfield, KY25 mi
- Gilbertsville, KY27 mi
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