NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Simpsonville, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Simpsonville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 110 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 110
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Simpsonville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Simpsonville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Simpsonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Simpsonville. The highest rating among the 110 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 110, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Simpsonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Simpsonville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Simpsonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Simpsonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 23 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 Simpsonville: 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 Simpsonville
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(3 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s13(4 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 9 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 4 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 110, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Simpsonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Simpsonville since 1968, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 2, 1980. The most recent report is from April 2, 2024. April and May have the most reports, 16 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Simpsonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville 1 E, KY, 9 miles east of Simpsonville 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%). Fisherville, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (Louisville WFO, KY): 53.1 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 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 Simpsonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 220 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Simpsonville: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 14 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 8, 2001. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 31. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 188 have had fewer than Simpsonville.
June 17, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Simpsonville — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
June 10, 2009: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Simpsonville — 1 killed.
April 4, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Simpsonville — $750,000 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
Shelby County, which includes Simpsonville, 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 Simpsonville
- Fisherville, KY4 mi
- Shelbyville, KY8 mi
- Pewee Valley, KY10 mi
- Crestwood, KY10 mi
- Taylorsville, KY11 mi
- La Grange, KY14 mi
- Smithfield, KY14 mi
- Eminence, KY15 mi
- Mt Washington, KY16 mi
- Prospect, KY16 mi
- Waddy, KY17 mi
- Louisville, KY18 mi
All Kentucky cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Simpsonville with another place →