NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Murray, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Murray, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
65 deaths in all
What the records show for Murray
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Murray; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Murray begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Murray. The highest rating among the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 14 miles. Of the 127, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 98 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Murray has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 99 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Murray has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Murray
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Murray: 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 Murray
By decade
- 2020s25(2 EF3+)
- 2010s33(1 EF3+)
- 2000s40(2 EF3+)
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 14 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F4 | 10 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 1 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 26, 2001 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 15 mi | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 10 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 17 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1984 | F3 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 36 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 9.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Murray
The Storm Prediction Center has 99 hail reports within 10 miles of Murray since 1967, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 4, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Murray
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Murray, KY, 1 mile west of Murray at 527 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 58.0 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 58.0 inches is more than at 92 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (99%). Puryear, TN, 13 miles south, has its own station (Paris 2 SE, TN): 54.9 inches a year, 3.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 27 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 50 | 31 | 5.2 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 58.0 | 86 | 6.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Murray, KY (527 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 Murray
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 237 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Murray: 157 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 20 heavy rain events, 19 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $9.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on June 30, 2009. February has had the most flash floods, 8 of 37. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 215 have had fewer than Murray.
June 23, 2019: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Murray — 1 killed.
NWS: “Eyewitnesses observed lightning strike next to a woman on the campus of Murray State University. The 50-year-old woman immediately collapsed.”
March 7, 2022: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Murray — 1 killed.
NWS: “S. Highway 641 south of Murray.”
December 15, 2007: flood 10 miles from the centre of Murray — 4 injured, $10,000 damage.
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 Murray's ZIP code 42071 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 4% 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, 54 have fewer than Murray.
Calloway County, which includes Murray, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 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 Calloway County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.8 million a year, the 18th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (20%), 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 Murray
- Almo, KY6 mi
- Puryear, TN13 mi
- Benton, KY17 mi
- Mayfield, KY21 mi
- Springville, TN22 mi
- Paris, TN22 mi
- Gilbertsville, KY25 mi
- Hickory, KY25 mi
- Wingo, KY26 mi
- Dover, TN26 mi
- Calvert City, KY28 mi
- Cadiz, KY28 mi
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