NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monticello, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Monticello, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 49 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 49
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Monticello
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Monticello; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Monticello begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 4 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Monticello has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 49 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 16 miles. Of the 49, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Monticello. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monticello.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monticello
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 74 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 Monticello: 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 Monticello
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s9
- 2000s4
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s11(7 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 16 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 38.4 mi | 10 / 113 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F4 | 19 mi | 13 mi | 2 / 72 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 13.9 mi | 2 / 45 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 19 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 28.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 17 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 11.2 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 7.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 49, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Monticello
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Monticello since 1968, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2025. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Monticello
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monticello 3 NE, KY, 5 miles north of Monticello at 979 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. March is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 52.5 inches over 88 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 99 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.5 inches is more than at 68 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (73%). Bronston, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Somerset 2 N, KY): 53.2 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 4.5 | 8 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 5.2 | 9 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 5.0 | 9 | 2.6 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 52.5 | 88 | 14.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monticello 3 NE, KY (979 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 Monticello
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 184 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monticello: 170 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $830,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on May 11, 2003. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 8 have had fewer than Monticello.
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
Wayne County, which includes Monticello, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.7 million a year, the 52nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (38%), 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 Monticello
- Bronston, KY15 mi
- Nancy, KY16 mi
- Stearns, KY16 mi
- Albany, KY18 mi
- Jamestown, KY18 mi
- Burnside, KY19 mi
- Whitley City, KY20 mi
- Russell Springs, KY22 mi
- Byrdstown, TN24 mi
- Pine Knot, KY25 mi
- Somerset, KY25 mi
- Oneida, TN27 mi
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