NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Stamping Ground, 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 Stamping Ground, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Stamping Ground
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Stamping Ground; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Stamping Ground begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 50 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Stamping Ground. The strongest of the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 1 mile, and it killed 4 people. Of the 69, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Stamping Ground. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Stamping Ground.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Stamping Ground
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 12 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 Stamping Ground: 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 Stamping Ground
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s8
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 1 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 19.3 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 18 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2004 | F2 | 23 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 69, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Stamping Ground
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Stamping Ground since 1962, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 5, 1996. The most recent report is from April 29, 2025. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Stamping Ground
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY, 14 miles southwest of Stamping Ground at 804 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. That 47.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (16%). Georgetown, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY): 49.8 inches a year, 2.3 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 | 43 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 47.5 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY (804 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 Stamping Ground
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 190 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Stamping Ground: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 13 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 9, 2000. September has had the most flash floods, 9 of 36. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 211 have had fewer than Stamping Ground.
May 1, 2016: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Stamping Ground — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
November 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Stamping Ground — $150,000 damage.
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Stamping Ground — $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
Scott County, which includes Stamping Ground, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Scott County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.6 million a year, the 27th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.3 million (45%), 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 Stamping Ground
- Georgetown, KY9 mi
- Midway, KY10 mi
- Sadieville, KY11 mi
- Frankfort, KY11 mi
- Owenton, KY13 mi
- Corinth, KY14 mi
- Versailles, KY18 mi
- Bagdad, KY18 mi
- Pleasureville, KY21 mi
- Lexington, KY22 mi
- Cynthiana, KY23 mi
- Berry, KY23 mi
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