NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Morehead, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Morehead, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Morehead
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Morehead; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Morehead begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 14 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Morehead has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 18 miles. Of the 25, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. April and June have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Morehead. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Morehead.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Morehead
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 23 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 Morehead: 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 Morehead
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s9
- 1980s1
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 18 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 23 mi | 49.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 14, 2015 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 12 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF1 | 14 mi | 8.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 2007 | EF1 | 14 mi | 3.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Morehead
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Morehead since 1973, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 16, 2025. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Morehead
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cave Run Lake, KY, 7 miles southwest of Morehead at 840 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.9 inches is more than at 47 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (51%). Olive Hill, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Olive Hill 5NE, KY): 50.0 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 25 | 3.6 | 8 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 46 | 27 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 55 | 33 | 4.6 | 9 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 67 | 42 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.4 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 50.9 | 92 | 12.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cave Run Lake, KY (840 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 Morehead
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 203 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Morehead: 156 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 13 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $16.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 14, 2015. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 178 have had fewer than Morehead.
July 20, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Morehead — 1 killed, $5.0 million damage.
September 9, 2018: flood in Morehead — 1 killed, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Several vehicles were submerged in water in Morehead, including police cruisers. Several roads were closed due to water covering them from overflowing creeks and streams.”
May 14, 2022: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Morehead — 1 killed.
NWS: “According to an article from LEX18 news in Lexington: Kentucky State Police say they were first called out in reference to a drowning on Bullfork Road in Rowan County. They say an 80-year-old man tried to cross a swollen tributary in a utility vehicle.”
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 Morehead's ZIP code 40351 have filed 271 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $4.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 97. 2% 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, 125 have fewer than Morehead.
Rowan County, which includes Morehead, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Helene, on November 26, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rowan 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 $12.9 million a year, the 47th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (77%), 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 Morehead
- Clearfield, KY3 mi
- Salt Lick, KY12 mi
- Hillsboro, KY14 mi
- Wallingford, KY15 mi
- Olive Hill, KY15 mi
- Owingsville, KY18 mi
- Sandy Hook, KY20 mi
- Frenchburg, KY21 mi
- West Liberty, KY21 mi
- Flemingsburg, KY22 mi
- Vanceburg, KY24 mi
- Tollesboro, KY26 mi
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