NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waco, 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 Waco, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Waco
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waco; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Waco begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 3 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Waco has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 52, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Waco. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Waco has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Waco's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waco
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 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 Waco: 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 Waco
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s3
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s5
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 14 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 1 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Jun 9, 1961 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.6 mi | 1 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 11 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 21, 1990 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 16, 1982 | F2 | 12 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 30, 1978 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waco
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Waco since 1959, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 19, 1964. The most recent report is from September 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waco
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cressy, KY, 9 miles northeast of Waco at 720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May and July are the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. That 50.9 inches is more than at 47 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (51%). Clay City, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Stanton 2W, KY): 53.2 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 32 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.6 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.9 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 5.4 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.7 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.9 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 57 | 32 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.2 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 50.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cressy, KY (720 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 Waco
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 353 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waco: 240 thunderstorm wind reports, 56 floods, 43 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 25, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 232 have had fewer than Waco.
June 22, 2016: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Waco — 4 injured.
January 11, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Waco — 3 injured.
NWS: “The National Weather Service, in conjunction with Madison County KY EMA, conducted a storm damage survey in eastern Madison County. The most concentrated area of damage was located at 595 Charlie Norris Rd, where several large barns, a greenhouse, and the top of a silo all experienced major structural damage.”
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Waco — 1 injured.
NWS: “A microburst with 90 to 100 mph winds caused severe damage to vehicles and buildings near Winston. One man was injured by flying glass as he attempted to shut the front door of his home.”
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
Madison County, which includes Waco, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). 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 Madison 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 $36.7 million a year, the 13th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (49%), 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.