NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Willisburg, 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 Willisburg, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Willisburg
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Willisburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Willisburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 43 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Willisburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 78, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Willisburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1991, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Willisburg.
Compare Willisburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Willisburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 5 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 Willisburg: 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 Willisburg
By decade
- 2020s21(1 EF3+)
- 2010s5
- 2000s15
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 13 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 24 mi | 14.54 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 13 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 0.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Willisburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Willisburg since 1991, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 10, 2016. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Willisburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardstown 5E, KY, 14 miles west of Willisburg at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 57 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (61%). Salvisa, 14 miles east, has its own station (Dix Dam, KY): 46.1 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.9 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.9 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 51.6 | 88 | 11.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bardstown 5E, KY (780 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 Willisburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Willisburg: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $686,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 22, 2003. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 11. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Willisburg.
June 29, 2020: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Willisburg — 1 killed, 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “A driver on Lawrenceburg Road noticed a white Ford Explorer that had washed off the road in flood waters. He then noticed an elderly man and woman were still in the vehicle with water up to their necks.”
February 15, 2025: flood 10 miles from the centre of Willisburg — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
April 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Willisburg — 1 injured, $120,000 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
Washington County, which includes Willisburg, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 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 Washington County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 93rd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (50%), 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 Willisburg
- Bloomfield, KY10 mi
- Springfield, KY11 mi
- Salvisa, KY14 mi
- Harrodsburg, KY15 mi
- Lawrenceburg, KY16 mi
- Bardstown, KY18 mi
- Taylorsville, KY19 mi
- Waddy, KY20 mi
- Lebanon, KY20 mi
- Loretto, KY20 mi
- Coxs Creek, KY21 mi
- Danville, KY23 mi
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