NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Nortonville, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Nortonville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1888. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
63 deaths in all
What the records show for Nortonville
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Nortonville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 99% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Nortonville. The highest rating among the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 1 mile. Of the 99, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 78 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Nortonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Nortonville.
Compare Nortonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Nortonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Nortonville: 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 Nortonville
By decade
- 2020s18(2 EF3+)
- 2010s37(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23(6 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s3
- 1970s4(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 1 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 10 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 6 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 13 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 6 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 2 mi | 8.23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 3 mi | 2.02 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 29.7 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| May 12, 1978 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 25 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Nortonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Nortonville since 1959, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 21, 2003. The most recent report is from September 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Nortonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Madisonville, KY, 12 miles north of Nortonville at 425 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 28°F. March is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 52.2 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. That 52.2 inches is more than at 66 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (71%). Crofton, 9 miles south, has its own station (Hopkinsville, KY): 51.9 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 50 | 32 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 60 | 39 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 49 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 50 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 40 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 48 | 32 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 52.2 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Madisonville, KY (425 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 Nortonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 92 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Nortonville: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 floods, 10 flash floods and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 26, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 10. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Nortonville.
August 2, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Nortonville — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 12, 2021: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Nortonville — 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Nortonville — 1 injured, $250,000 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 Nortonville's ZIP code 42442 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $165,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 12% 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, 27 have fewer than Nortonville.
Hopkins County, which includes Nortonville, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). 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 Hopkins County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.6 million a year, the 22nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (37%), 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).
Nortonville in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Nortonville
- Crofton, KY9 mi
- Madisonville, KY11 mi
- Dawson Springs, KY12 mi
- Greenville, KY16 mi
- Hanson, KY17 mi
- Central City, KY20 mi
- Hopkinsville, KY22 mi
- Providence, KY22 mi
- Princeton, KY23 mi
- Elkton, KY25 mi
- Dixon, KY27 mi
- Pembroke, KY28 mi
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