NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waddy, 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 Waddy, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Waddy
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waddy; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Waddy begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Waddy. The highest rating among the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 91, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Waddy has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Waddy.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waddy
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 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 Waddy: 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 Waddy
By decade
- 2020s21(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 4 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 9 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waddy
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Waddy since 1968, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waddy
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville 1 E, KY, 9 miles northwest of Waddy at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 20°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 49.9 inches is more than at 40 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (43%). Lawrenceburg, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Versailles 3 NNW, KY): 48.2 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 20 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 47 | 21 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 57 | 29 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 4.0 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 49 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 58 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jul | 88 | 62 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 87 | 58 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 50 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 40 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 57 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 40 | 49.9 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville 1 E, KY (730 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 Waddy
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 107 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waddy: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $654,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 17, 2010. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Waddy.
December 11, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Waddy — 1 killed.
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Waddy — $200,000 damage.
May 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Waddy — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Two houses were heavily damaged by thunderstorm winds.”
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
Shelby County, which includes Waddy, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 10, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 26th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.1 million (42%), 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 Waddy
- Lawrenceburg, KY10 mi
- Shelbyville, KY10 mi
- Bagdad, KY11 mi
- Frankfort, KY12 mi
- Taylorsville, KY17 mi
- Simpsonville, KY17 mi
- Salvisa, KY18 mi
- Bloomfield, KY18 mi
- Eminence, KY18 mi
- Pleasureville, KY18 mi
- Versailles, KY19 mi
- Midway, KY20 mi
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