NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Russellville, 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 Russellville, 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, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Russellville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Russellville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Russellville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Russellville. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on December 9, 2023, came within 5 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 51 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on November 22, 2025. Russellville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1982, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Russellville.
Compare Russellville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Russellville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 8 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 Russellville: 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 Russellville
By decade
- 2020s17(4 EF3+)
- 2010s21
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 15 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 5 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 7 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 3 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.7 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 10 mi | 12.88 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 1 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.99 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 Russellville
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Russellville since 1982, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 16, 1998. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Russellville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Russellville, KY, in Russellville at 570 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 53.9 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. That 53.9 inches is more than at 81 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (87%). Rockfield, 15 miles east, has its own station (Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, KY): 50.0 inches a year, 3.9 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 53.9 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Russellville, KY (570 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 Russellville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Russellville: 122 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $639,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 19, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 28. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 171 have had fewer than Russellville.
August 5, 2010: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Russellville — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “A 16 year old Amish girl was struck in the head and killed by lightning while working in a field. She was pronounced dead at the scene.”
August 16, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Russellville — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
June 29, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Russellville — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Russellville's ZIP code 42276 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $121,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% 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, 41 have fewer than Russellville.
Logan County, which includes Russellville, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Logan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind 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 $17.4 million a year, the 36th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (28%), 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.