NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sturgis, 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 Sturgis, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Sturgis
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sturgis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Sturgis begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 45 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sturgis. The strongest of the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on February 29, 2012; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 8 people. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 87, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Sturgis has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sturgis.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sturgis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sturgis: 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 Sturgis
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16(2 EF3+)
- 2000s25(6 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s4
- 1970s8
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF4 | 20 mi | 26.09 mi | 8 / 108 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 22 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 18 mi | 22.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 7 mi | 9.88 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 10 mi | 14.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2009 | EF3 | 12 mi | 12.35 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 8 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 13 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 16, 1963 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1960 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sturgis
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Sturgis since 1974, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 28, 2009. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sturgis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN, 16 miles north of Sturgis at 340 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 26°F. April is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.4 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 48.4 inches is more than at 26 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (28%). Clay, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Providence, KY): 48.5 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 26 | 3.6 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 37 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 4.0 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 48.4 | 77 | 7.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN (340 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 Sturgis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sturgis: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 5 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 4, 2014. May has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 1 have had fewer than Sturgis.
May 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Sturgis — 1 injured, $4,000 damage.
NWS: “Downed trees and broken limbs were reported throughout the county. Kentucky State Police reported a falling tree struck a car on Kentucky 758, but the driver was not seriously hurt.”
November 14, 2005: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sturgis — $500,000 damage.
June 14, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Sturgis — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “State police reported numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Siding was stripped from downtown businesses.”
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 Sturgis's ZIP code 42459 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1999, and were paid $292,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 69% 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, 18 have fewer than Sturgis.
Union County, which includes Sturgis, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.6 million a year, the 58th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.3 million (31%), 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 Sturgis
- Morganfield, KY10 mi
- Clay, KY10 mi
- Marion, KY16 mi
- Dixon, KY17 mi
- Providence, KY17 mi
- Sebree, KY26 mi
- Mount Vernon, IN27 mi
- Hanson, KY29 mi
- Henderson, KY30 mi
- Eldorado, IL31 mi
- Princeton, KY31 mi
- Dawson Springs, KY31 mi
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