NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitesville, 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 Whitesville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
95 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitesville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Whitesville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Whitesville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 18 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Whitesville. The strongest of the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 31 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 81, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Whitesville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Whitesville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 38 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 Whitesville: 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 Whitesville
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s22(3 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s8
- 1970s7(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 19 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 13 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 15 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 13 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 9.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitesville since 1971, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 10 days, most recently September 27, 2023. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beaver Dam, KY, 15 miles south of Whitesville at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. That 51.9 inches is more than at 62 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (67%). Philpot, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Cannelton, IN): 48.9 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 5.0 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 65 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 51.9 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beaver Dam, KY (400 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 Whitesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitesville: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 floods, 10 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $753,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 31, 2016. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Whitesville.
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Whitesville — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
March 31, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Whitesville — $225,000 damage.
April 3, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Whitesville — $100,000 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 Whitesville, 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 Whitesville
- Philpot, KY6 mi
- Utica, KY13 mi
- Hartford, KY14 mi
- Owensboro, KY16 mi
- Hawesville, KY16 mi
- Cloverport, KY16 mi
- Lewisport, KY17 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY19 mi
- Rockport, IN20 mi
- Beaver Dam, KY20 mi
- Cannelton, IN21 mi
- Tell City, IN22 mi
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