NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paint Lick, 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 Paint Lick, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Paint Lick
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Paint Lick; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Paint Lick begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 58 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Paint Lick has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 7 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 3, 1974, killed 7 people. Of the 67, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Paint Lick. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Paint Lick has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paint Lick
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 39 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 Paint Lick: 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 Paint Lick
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s5
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s4
- 1970s12(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 5 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 28.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 7 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 6 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 8 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 21, 1990 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 16 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Paint Lick
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Paint Lick since 1972, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 25, 2015. The most recent report is from September 5, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Paint Lick
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Crab Orchard 6 N, KY, 7 miles south of Paint Lick at 1,025 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.4 inches is more than at 44 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (47%). Lancaster, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Danville, KY): 47.9 inches a year, 2.5 less 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 | 27 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 4.7 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 50.4 | 86 | 7.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Crab Orchard 6 N, KY (1,025 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 Paint Lick
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paint Lick: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 29, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 12 of 36. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 211 have had fewer than Paint Lick.
August 21, 2013: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Paint Lick — 2 killed, 3 injured.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Paint Lick — 2 injured.
NWS: “A mobile home was blown across Moran Mill Road near KY 52W.”
July 27, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Paint Lick — $892,000 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
Garrard County, which includes Paint Lick, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 3 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 Garrard County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 92nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (51%), 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 Paint Lick
- Berea, KY7 mi
- Crab Orchard, KY11 mi
- Lancaster, KY11 mi
- Richmond, KY12 mi
- Brodhead, KY15 mi
- Stanford, KY15 mi
- Mount Vernon, KY16 mi
- Waco, KY18 mi
- Waynesburg, KY20 mi
- Danville, KY21 mi
- Nicholasville, KY22 mi
- Junction City, KY22 mi
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