NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Philpot, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Philpot, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
89 deaths in all
What the records show for Philpot
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Philpot; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Philpot begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 13 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Philpot. The strongest of the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 31 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 80, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Philpot has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Philpot has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Philpot's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Philpot
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Philpot: 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 Philpot
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s19
- 2000s21(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s8
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 18 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 9 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 11 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 25 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 8 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 17 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 11 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 14 mi | 17.26 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Philpot
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Philpot since 1971, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 15, 2025. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Philpot
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cannelton, IN, 17 miles northeast of Philpot at 402 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.9 inches is more than at 31 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (33%). Whitesville, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Beaver Dam, KY): 51.9 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 27 | 3.3 | 7 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 55 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 57 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 38 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 31 | 4.4 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Year | 66 | 48 | 48.9 | 81 | 10.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cannelton, IN (402 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 Philpot
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Philpot: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods, 12 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on May 27, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 35 have had fewer than Philpot.
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Philpot — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Philpot — $3.0 million damage.
March 31, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Philpot — $225,000 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 Philpot's ZIP code 42366 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $106,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 40% 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, 0 have fewer than Philpot.
Daviess County, which includes Philpot, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 1 flood). 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 Daviess County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate 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 $69.8 million a year, the 6th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.3 million (48%), 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 Philpot
- Whitesville, KY6 mi
- Owensboro, KY11 mi
- Utica, KY13 mi
- Lewisport, KY13 mi
- Hawesville, KY14 mi
- Rockport, IN14 mi
- Cloverport, KY17 mi
- Hartford, KY18 mi
- Tell City, IN20 mi
- Cannelton, IN20 mi
- Richland, IN20 mi
- Calhoun, KY23 mi
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