NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wickliffe, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Wickliffe, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Wickliffe
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wickliffe; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Wickliffe begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm directly overhead. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Wickliffe. The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 6, 2003, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on November 17, 2013, killed 3 people. Of the 125, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Wickliffe has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Wickliffe has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wickliffe
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wickliffe: 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 Wickliffe
By decade
- 2020s19(1 EF3+)
- 2010s38(3 EF3+)
- 2000s24(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 21 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 17 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 13 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 22 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 21 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 25 mi | 14.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 12, 1958 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 22, 1955 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1955 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jun 4, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wickliffe
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Wickliffe since 1961, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 16, 2025, the most recent report. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wickliffe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Paducah 2W, KY, 16 miles northeast of Wickliffe at 413 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 50.7 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. That 50.7 inches is more than at 46 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (49%). Charleston, MO, 16 miles west, has its own station (Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO): 49.8 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 30 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 59 | 38 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Apr | 70 | 47 | 5.2 | 7 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 47 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 50.7 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Paducah 2W, KY (413 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 Wickliffe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 324 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wickliffe: 152 thunderstorm wind reports, 135 floods, 23 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $210.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on February 18, 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Wickliffe.
June 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wickliffe — 1 killed, $45,000 damage.
January 22, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wickliffe — 3 injured, $200,000 damage.
May 2, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Wickliffe — $200.0 million damage.
NWS: “S. Army Corps of Engineers activated the New Madrid Floodway by detonating a levee at Birds Point.”
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 Wickliffe's ZIP code 42087 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $171,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 13. 23% 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, 61 have fewer than Wickliffe.
Ballard County, which includes Wickliffe, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 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 Ballard County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.0 million a year, the 55th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.4 million (13%), 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 Wickliffe
- Bardwell, KY6 mi
- Kevil, KY14 mi
- Charleston, MO16 mi
- West Paducah, KY17 mi
- Clinton, KY20 mi
- Metropolis, IL22 mi
- Hickory, KY23 mi
- Paducah, KY23 mi
- East Prairie, MO24 mi
- Mayfield, KY27 mi
- Brookport, IL28 mi
- Wingo, KY28 mi
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