NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitley City, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Whitley City, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
44 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitley City
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Whitley City; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Whitley City begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Whitley City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 19 miles. Of the 33, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Whitley City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Whitley City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Whitley City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitley City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Whitley City: 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 Whitley City
By decade
- 2020s4(1 EF3+)
- 2010s4
- 2000s5
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s11(7 EF3+)
- 1960s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 19 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 38.4 mi | 10 / 113 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 3 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 13.9 mi | 2 / 45 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 2 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 4 mi | 11.2 mi | 2 / 9 |
| May 2, 2010 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitley City
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitley City since 1969, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2025. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitley City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stearns 2S, KY, 7 miles south of Whitley City at 1,220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.4 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. That 56.4 inches is more than at 90 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (97%). Burnside, 14 miles north, has its own station (Somerset 2 N, KY): 53.2 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 24 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 4.7 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 6.1 | 8 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 32 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 56.4 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stearns 2S, KY (1,220 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 Whitley City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitley City: 153 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 heavy rain events, 9 floods and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 9, 2003. November has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 1 have had fewer than Whitley City.
September 6, 2018: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Whitley City — $2.0 million damage.
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Whitley City — $250,000 damage.
June 5, 2004: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Whitley City — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “There were roofs and porches blown off of homes. Trees and power lines were down across the county.”
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
McCreary County, which includes Whitley City, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McCreary County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.8 million a year, the 110th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (34%), 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.