NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockfield, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rockfield, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockfield
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Rockfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rockfield. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on December 9, 2023, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 11, 2021, killed 16 people. Of the 86, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Rockfield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rockfield.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 11 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 Rockfield: 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 Rockfield
By decade
- 2020s11(3 EF3+)
- 2010s21
- 2000s10
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s10(4 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 1 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 7 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | in town | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 13 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 5 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 25 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 19 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 12.88 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 4 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockfield since 1972, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 16, 2025. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, KY, 11 miles east of Rockfield at 523 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 28°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.0 inches is more than at 42 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (45%). Auburn, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Russellville, KY): 53.9 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 28 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 49 | 32 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 50.0 | 82 | 8.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, KY (523 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 Rockfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockfield: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $579,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 9, 2000. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 23. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Rockfield.
April 11, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Rockfield — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rockfield — $200,000 damage.
May 31, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Rockfield — $100,000 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
Warren County, which includes Rockfield, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Warren County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $79.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.3 million (40%), 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 Rockfield
- Auburn, KY6 mi
- Bowling Green, KY11 mi
- Franklin, KY15 mi
- Russellville, KY15 mi
- Alvaton, KY16 mi
- Lewisburg, KY19 mi
- Morgantown, KY20 mi
- Portland, TN25 mi
- Smiths Grove, KY26 mi
- Cross Plains, TN27 mi
- Brownsville, KY27 mi
- Scottsville, KY27 mi
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