NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Versailles, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Versailles, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Versailles
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Versailles; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Versailles begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Versailles has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 7 people. Of the 82, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Versailles has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Versailles has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Versailles
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Versailles: 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 Versailles
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s6
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 24 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 2 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 20, 1982 | F2 | 13 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Versailles
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Versailles since 1955, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 10, 1966. 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 Versailles
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Versailles 3 NNW, KY, 4 miles north of Versailles at 891 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. That 48.2 inches is more than at 20 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (22%). Salvisa, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Dix Dam, KY): 46.1 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 45 | 28 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Mar | 55 | 35 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 65 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 66 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 57 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 46 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 48.2 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Versailles 3 NNW, KY (891 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 Versailles
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 256 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Versailles: 222 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 7 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person 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 April 2, 2024. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 20. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Versailles.
May 18, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Versailles — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
April 2, 2024: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Versailles — 1 injured.
July 20, 2018: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Versailles — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Versailles's ZIP code 40383 have filed 342 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $10.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1989: 143 claims (42% of all) and $1.8 million, then Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025 with 42 and Not a named storm in 1978 with 24. 62% 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, 129 have fewer than Versailles.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1989 | 143 | $1.8 million |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 42 | $4.6 million |
| Not a named storm1978 | 24 | $457,000 |
Woodford County, which includes Versailles, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Woodford County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.0 million a year, the 46th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (50%), 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 Versailles
- Midway, KY8 mi
- Lawrenceburg, KY12 mi
- Salvisa, KY12 mi
- Frankfort, KY13 mi
- Lexington, KY13 mi
- Wilmore, KY13 mi
- Nicholasville, KY14 mi
- Georgetown, KY16 mi
- Stamping Ground, KY18 mi
- Waddy, KY19 mi
- Harrodsburg, KY20 mi
- Bagdad, KY23 mi
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