NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wilmore, 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 Wilmore, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Wilmore
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wilmore; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near Wilmore begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 62 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Wilmore has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 7 people. Of the 85, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Wilmore has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wilmore.
Compare Wilmore's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wilmore
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 17 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 Wilmore: 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 Wilmore
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s6
- 2000s10(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s10
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 18 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 15 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wilmore
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Wilmore since 1965, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 19, 2022. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wilmore
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dix Dam, KY, 6 miles southwest of Wilmore at 870 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 46.1 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. That 46.1 inches is more than at 8 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (9%). Versailles, 13 miles north, has its own station (Versailles 3 NNW, KY): 48.2 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 4.4 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 46.1 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dix Dam, KY (870 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 Wilmore
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wilmore: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 10 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 6, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Wilmore.
May 18, 2006: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Wilmore — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 68 near Catnip Road, killing the driver.”
May 2, 2007: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Wilmore — 1 killed.
July 26, 2012: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Wilmore — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 67 year old female was struck by lightning in a field adjacent to her farm near Crenshaw Lane. She died at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.”
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 Wilmore's ZIP code 40390 have filed 101 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1989: 24 claims (24% of all) and $264,000, then Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025 with 19. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 28. 52% 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, 104 have fewer than Wilmore.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1989 | 24 | $264,000 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 19 | $1.4 million |
Jessamine County, which includes Wilmore, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jessamine County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.7 million a year, the 35th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 million (43%), 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 Wilmore
- Nicholasville, KY5 mi
- Harrodsburg, KY12 mi
- Salvisa, KY13 mi
- Versailles, KY13 mi
- Lancaster, KY14 mi
- Lexington, KY15 mi
- Danville, KY16 mi
- Lawrenceburg, KY19 mi
- Junction City, KY21 mi
- Midway, KY21 mi
- Richmond, KY22 mi
- Paint Lick, KY23 mi
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