NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pembroke, 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 Pembroke, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Audrey in 1957. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Pembroke
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pembroke; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Pembroke begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Audrey in 1957, a tropical storm 57 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pembroke. The highest rating among the 111 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on December 9, 2023, came within 10 miles. Of the 111, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on November 22, 2025. Pembroke has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1959, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Pembroke has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Pembroke's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pembroke
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 2 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 Pembroke: 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 Pembroke
By decade
- 2020s22(3 EF3+)
- 2010s42(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 10 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 18 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | in town | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| Apr 26, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 2.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 25 mi | 2.02 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 9 mi | 29.7 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 25 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 22, 1999 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 19 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1978 | F3 | 14 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 8 mi | 13.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.88 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pembroke
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Pembroke since 1959, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 7, 2006. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pembroke
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hopkinsville, KY, 11 miles northwest of Pembroke at 520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.2 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 51.9 inches is more than at 63 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (68%). Trenton, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Clarksville Outlaw Airport, TN): 47.3 inches a year, 4.6 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 48 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 58 | 38 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 58 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 70 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Year | 68 | 49 | 51.9 | 80 | 5.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hopkinsville, KY (520 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 Pembroke
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 203 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pembroke: 124 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 floods, 16 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 125 mph, on May 14, 2014. February has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Pembroke.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pembroke — 3 injured, $1.5 million damage.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Pembroke — 3 injured, $250,000 damage.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Pembroke — 1 injured, $500,000 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
Christian County, which includes Pembroke, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Christian County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.8 million a year, the 11th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.1 million (39%), 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.