NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Vernon, 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 Mount Vernon, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Vernon
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Vernon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Mount Vernon begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Mount Vernon has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 16, 2025; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 66, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mount Vernon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1982, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Vernon.
Compare Mount Vernon's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Vernon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 55 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 Mount Vernon: 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 Mount Vernon
By decade
- 2020s4(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s7
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 21 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 21 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 28.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 14 mi | 7.15 mi | 6 / 40 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 2001 | F2 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Vernon
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Vernon since 1982, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Vernon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Vernon, KY, 1 mile south of Mount Vernon at 1,160 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.4 inches is more than at 54 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (58%). Crab Orchard, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Crab Orchard 6 N, KY): 50.4 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 4.2 | 8 | 3.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 27 | 4.0 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 4.9 | 9 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 66 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 29 | 4.9 | 9 | 1.6 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 51.4 | 88 | 10.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Vernon, KY (1,160 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 Mount Vernon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 238 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Vernon: 181 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 23 floods, 5 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 8, 2020. August has had the most flash floods, 11 of 27. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Mount Vernon.
January 1, 2022: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — $500,000 damage.
April 8, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — $260,000 damage.
June 18, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck the pumping equipment at the Mt. Vernon water plant early Saturday morning, causing a slow down of the water pumping capability around the county.”
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
Rockcastle County, which includes Mount Vernon, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Rockcastle County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.6 million a year, the 84th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.8 million (63%), 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 Mount Vernon
- Brodhead, KY5 mi
- Crab Orchard, KY10 mi
- East Bernstadt, KY15 mi
- Berea, KY15 mi
- Waynesburg, KY16 mi
- Paint Lick, KY16 mi
- Mc Kee, KY17 mi
- Eubank, KY18 mi
- Annville, KY20 mi
- Stanford, KY22 mi
- Science Hill, KY22 mi
- Somerset, KY23 mi
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