NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shelbyville, 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 Shelbyville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Shelbyville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shelbyville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Shelbyville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 58 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 Shelbyville. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 103, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Shelbyville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Shelbyville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shelbyville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 19 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 Shelbyville: 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 Shelbyville
By decade
- 2020s22(1 EF3+)
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 14 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 12 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 12 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 25 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 5.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 11.15 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shelbyville
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Shelbyville since 1968, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 2, 1980. The most recent report is from July 18, 2023. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shelbyville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville 1 E, KY, 1 mile southeast of Shelbyville at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 20°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 49.9 inches is more than at 40 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (43%). Bagdad, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY): 47.5 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 20 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 47 | 21 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 57 | 29 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 4.0 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 49 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 58 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jul | 88 | 62 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 87 | 58 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 50 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 40 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 57 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 40 | 49.9 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville 1 E, KY (730 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 Shelbyville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 163 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shelbyville: 138 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 8 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $949,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 17, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Shelbyville.
June 10, 2009: lightning strike in Shelbyville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 44-year old main died Monday, June 15th after being struck by lightning at his workplace on Wednesday, June 10th. The man was standing outside waiting to be picked up from work when his coworkers heard a very loud boom and looked out to find him laying on the ground beneath the tree.”
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Shelbyville — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds destroyed several large barns and uprooted several trees on Mt. Eden Road south of Interstate 64.”
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Shelbyville — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds destroyed several large barns uprooted trees on Hebron Road near Scott Station and Harrington Mill Roads.”
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 Shelbyville's ZIP code 40065 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $138,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 6% 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, 27 have fewer than Shelbyville.
Shelby County, which includes Shelbyville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 10, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 26th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.1 million (42%), 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 Shelbyville
- Simpsonville, KY8 mi
- Waddy, KY10 mi
- Bagdad, KY11 mi
- Eminence, KY11 mi
- Fisherville, KY12 mi
- Smithfield, KY13 mi
- Taylorsville, KY14 mi
- Pleasureville, KY15 mi
- Crestwood, KY16 mi
- Pewee Valley, KY16 mi
- La Grange, KY16 mi
- Frankfort, KY19 mi
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