NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Milton, 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 Milton, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Milton
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Milton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Milton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Milton. The strongest of the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 102, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Milton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Milton.
Compare Milton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Milton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 52 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 Milton: 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 Milton
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s24(2 EF3+)
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(6 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s17(6 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 18 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 4 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 18 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 104 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 4 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 4 mi | 3.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 15 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Milton
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Milton since 1956, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 20, 2018. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. March has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Milton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Madison Sewage Plt, IN, 3 miles northwest of Milton at 460 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. April is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.0 inches is more than at 50 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (54%). Carrollton, 11 miles east, has its own station (Vevay, IN): 48.4 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.5 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 51.0 | 85 | 12.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Madison Sewage Plt, IN (460 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 Milton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 218 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Milton: 160 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 flash floods and 14 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on January 17, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 16 of 44. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 233 have had fewer than Milton.
August 16, 2007: thunderstorm wind in Milton — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew a tree on to a barn. Two people inside the barn were injured.”
July 1, 2012: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Milton — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Milton — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds damaged homes, barns, and farm equipment. Power lines were also downed.”
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 Milton's ZIP code 40045 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $644,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 12 claims (32% of all) and $187,000, then Not a named storm in 1978 with 10. 82% 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, 71 have fewer than Milton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 12 | $187,000 |
| Not a named storm1978 | 10 | $9,480 |
Trimble County, which includes Milton, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 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 Trimble County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.0 million a year, the 114th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (53%), 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.