NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sonora, 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 Sonora, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Sonora
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sonora; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Sonora begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 2 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 Sonora. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 3 people. Of the 76, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on December 18, 2025. Sonora has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Sonora has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sonora
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sonora: 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 Sonora
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s15
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 14 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F3 | 9 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 23.82 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 16.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2013 | EF2 | 8 mi | 6.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sonora
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Sonora since 1962, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 3, 2007. The most recent report is from May 23, 2024. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sonora
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY, 11 miles north of Sonora at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 54.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.3 inches is more than at 83 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (89%). Magnolia, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Greensburg, KY): 51.7 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 4.0 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Feb | 47 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 54.3 | 87 | 4.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY (690 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 Sonora
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 158 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sonora: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 8 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on January 24, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 26. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 160 have had fewer than Sonora.
February 15, 2025: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Sonora — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “At approximately 8 PM, a 63 year old male was driving on Gilead Church Road when he drove into water over the roadway. He left his vehicle and drown.”
April 3, 2018: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Sonora — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “A truck with a male driver was blown off the road of the 2300 block of Sonora Hardin Springs Road and into a barn. The driver was taken to Hardin Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.”
March 2, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Sonora — $200,000 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
Hardin County, which includes Sonora, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.9 million (44%), 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 Sonora
- Upton, KY5 mi
- Hodgenville, KY10 mi
- Magnolia, KY12 mi
- Elizabethtown, KY13 mi
- Cecilia, KY13 mi
- Munfordville, KY16 mi
- Clarkson, KY17 mi
- Rineyville, KY18 mi
- New Haven, KY19 mi
- Radcliff, KY22 mi
- Vine Grove, KY22 mi
- Leitchfield, KY24 mi
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