NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Smithfield, 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 Smithfield, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Smithfield
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Smithfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Smithfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Smithfield. The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 17 miles. Of the 100, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Smithfield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Smithfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Smithfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 32 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 Smithfield: 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 Smithfield
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26(3 EF3+)
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(4 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 17 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 18 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 23 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 13 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 18 mi | 3.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 13 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 14 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | in town | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Smithfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of Smithfield since 1968, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 2, 1980. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Smithfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Crestwood 4NE, KY, 8 miles west of Smithfield at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 53.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. That 53.0 inches is more than at 70 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (75%). Eminence, 6 miles east, has its own station (Shelbyville 1 E, KY): 49.9 inches a year, 3.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 45 | 27 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.2 | 9 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.9 | 10 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jul | 88 | 65 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 53.0 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Crestwood 4NE, KY (780 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 Smithfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Smithfield: 178 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 6 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 1, 2002. April has had the most flash floods, 7 of 21. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 119 have had fewer than Smithfield.
June 22, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Smithfield — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
April 5, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Smithfield — $200,000 damage.
July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Smithfield — $150,000 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
Henry County, which includes Smithfield, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). 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 Henry County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.2 million a year, the 99th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (51%), 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 Smithfield
- La Grange, KY6 mi
- Eminence, KY6 mi
- Pendleton, KY7 mi
- Crestwood, KY11 mi
- Campbellsburg, KY11 mi
- Pleasureville, KY11 mi
- Pewee Valley, KY13 mi
- Shelbyville, KY13 mi
- Simpsonville, KY14 mi
- Bedford, KY14 mi
- Bagdad, KY16 mi
- Goshen, KY16 mi
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