NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Utica, 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 Utica, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
60 deaths in all
What the records show for Utica
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Utica; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Utica begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 16 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Utica. The highest rating among the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 15 miles. Of the 87, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 17 each. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Utica has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Utica.
Compare Utica's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Utica
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Utica: 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 Utica
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s25(6 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s8
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 15 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 19 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 17 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 13 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 15 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 24 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 10 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 17 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 11 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 5 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 15 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Utica
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Utica since 1960, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 29, 1990. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Utica
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Calhoun Lock 2, KY, 11 miles southwest of Utica at 402 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 45.7 inches is more than at 5 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (5%). Philpot, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Cannelton, IN): 48.9 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 47 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 68 | 47 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 31 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 45.7 | 75 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Calhoun Lock 2, KY (402 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 Utica
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Utica: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 12 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on May 27, 2004. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 35 have had fewer than Utica.
July 3, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Utica — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Utica — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree was down on a mobile home. Two other trees were down in the same area, blocking roads.”
January 22, 2012: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Utica — 1 injured, $80,000 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
Daviess County, which includes Utica, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 1 flood). 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 Daviess County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate 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 $69.8 million a year, the 6th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.3 million (48%), 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 Utica
- Owensboro, KY11 mi
- Calhoun, KY11 mi
- Philpot, KY13 mi
- Whitesville, KY13 mi
- Hartford, KY13 mi
- Beaver Dam, KY19 mi
- Rockport, IN20 mi
- Central City, KY21 mi
- Sebree, KY24 mi
- Richland, IN24 mi
- Lewisport, KY25 mi
- Hanson, KY25 mi
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