Tornado season in Kentucky
Tornado season in Kentucky peaks from March to May, when 51% of its tornadoes touch down; April is the busiest month. Kentucky averaged 29 tornadoes a year in 1996–2025. It also has a second season from November to February, which brought 26% of its tornadoes; February is the busiest of those months.
Data: NOAA SPC tornado database, years 1996–2025 (records since 1950). All states
Tornadoes in Kentucky by month
All tornadoes recorded in Kentucky, 1996–2025, by the month they touched down.
| Month | Tornadoes, 1996–2025 | Average a year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62 | 2.1 | 7% |
| February | 75 | 2.5 | 9% |
| March | 101 | 3.4 | 12% |
| April (busiest) | 189 | 6.3 | 22% |
| May | 150 | 5 | 17% |
| June | 70 | 2.3 | 8% |
| July | 41 | 1.4 | 5% |
| August | 13 | 0.4 | 2% |
| September | 13 | 0.4 | 2% |
| October | 61 | 2 | 7% |
| November | 45 | 1.5 | 5% |
| December | 38 | 1.3 | 4% |
Is there a second tornado season in Kentucky?
Yes. Besides the spring peak, Kentucky has a late-autumn and winter season: November to February brought 26% of its tornadoes (220 in 1996–2025), and February is the busiest of those months. Cool-season tornadoes in the South ride a strong winter jet stream and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. They often move fast, can come at night, and may be hidden by rain, so a warning may give less time to act. See winter tornadoes in the Southeast.
What time of day tornadoes hit Kentucky
The most common hour for a tornado to touch down in Kentucky is 7 pm to 8 pm (local standard time). 56% came between 6 pm and 6 am, when it is dark for much of the year and many people are asleep. A weather radio or phone alerts that can wake you matter most where night tornadoes are common.
How strong: the EF-scale mix
Ratings of Kentucky's tornadoes, 1996–2025. Wind speeds are the EF scale's estimated 3-second gusts. 20% of rated tornadoes were EF2 or stronger.
| Rating | Estimated wind | Tornadoes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| EF0 / F0 | 65–85 mph | 265 | 31% |
| EF1 / F1 | 86–110 mph | 418 | 49% |
| EF2 / F2 | 111–135 mph | 128 | 15% |
| EF3 / F3 | 136–165 mph | 39 | 5% |
| EF4 / F4 | 166–200 mph | 5 | 1% |
| EF5 / F5 | over 200 mph | 0 | 0% |
| Unrated (EFU) | — | 3 | under 1% |
Strongest tornadoes in Kentucky since 1950
Highest rating first; ties by deaths, injuries and path length.
| Date | Rating | Deaths | Injuries | Path | First county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3, 1974 | F5 | 31 | 270 | 27.1 mi, 440 yd wide | Breckinridge County |
| April 3, 1974 | F5 | 0 | 20 | 14 mi, 533 yd wide | Boone County |
| December 10, 2021 | EF4 | 57 | 515 | 166.4 mi, 2,600 yd wide | Fulton County |
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 18 | 0 | 60.1 mi, 1,700 yd wide | Russell County |
| April 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 | 113 | 38.4 mi, 10 yd wide | Cumberland County |
Deadliest tornadoes in Kentucky since 1950
Deaths in Kentucky only; a tornado that crossed a state line may have killed people elsewhere too. 137 people died in tornadoes in Kentucky in 1996–2025.
| Date | Deaths | Rating | Injuries | Path | First county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 10, 2021 | 57 | EF4 | 515 | 166.4 mi | Fulton County |
| April 3, 1974 | 31 | F5 | 270 | 27.1 mi | Breckinridge County |
| May 16, 2025 | 18 | EF4 | 0 | 60.1 mi | Russell County |
| December 11, 2021 | 16 | EF3 | 63 | 29.3 mi | Warren County |
| April 3, 1974 | 10 | F4 | 113 | 38.4 mi | Cumberland County |
Tornadoes per year in Kentucky
The busiest year in 1996–2025 was 2011, with 62 tornadoes; the quietest was 1999, with 6. 1,261 tornadoes are recorded in Kentucky since 1950. The last 10 years:
| Year | Tornadoes |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 39 |
| 2024 | 50 |
| 2023 | 37 |
| 2022 | 32 |
| 2021 | 39 |
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2018 | 36 |
| 2017 | 26 |
| 2016 | 24 |
Tornado risk in Kentucky right now
This page is history. For today, check tornado warnings in force now and the severe weather and tornado outlook for the next three days, or all weather alerts in Kentucky. How exposed each county is: natural disaster risk in Kentucky.
Tornado watch or tornado warning?
- Tornado watch: conditions are right for tornadoes in and near the watch area, often parts of several states, for several hours. Issued by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Be ready and know where you would shelter.
- Tornado warning: a tornado has been seen or is shown by radar and threatens the warned area now. Issued by the local National Weather Service office, usually for less than an hour. Go to shelter at once: a basement, or an inside room with no windows on the lowest floor.
- Tornado emergency: the most serious wording the Weather Service can put in a warning, used when a confirmed, damaging tornado is heading for a town or city.
Right now: tornado warnings in force · severe weather and tornado outlook for today to day 3 · all US weather alerts by state
About this data
Data: NOAA SPC tornado database, years 1996–2025 (records since 1950). Source: the tornado file of the NOAA Storm Prediction Center's Severe Weather Database (1950-2025_all_tornadoes.csv), a US Government work in the public domain, spc.noaa.gov/wcm. Built 2026-10-18.
- Months, times of day, averages and the EF-scale mix cover the latest 30 full years in the database. The strongest and deadliest lists go back to 1950, when the database starts.
- A tornado that crossed a state line is counted in every state it touched, with the deaths and injuries in each state, as the Storm Prediction Center advises. National totals count each tornado once.
- Ratings before February 2007 are on the Fujita (F) scale and later ones on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. "EFU" means the tornado could not be rated, usually because it hit nothing that could be surveyed.
- Times are local standard time; the county is the first county on the tornado's path. More tornadoes are reported now than in the 1950s because of radar, spotters and phone cameras, so old and new counts are not directly comparable.
- This is history, not a forecast. Any month can bring a tornado; follow your local National Weather Service office.
Questions
When is tornado season in Kentucky?
Tornado season in Kentucky peaks from March to May, when 51% of its tornadoes touch down; April is the busiest month. Kentucky averaged 29 tornadoes a year in 1996–2025. It also has a second season from November to February, which brought 26% of its tornadoes; February is the busiest of those months.
How many tornadoes does Kentucky get a year?
Kentucky averaged 29 tornadoes a year in 1996–2025 (858 tornadoes in all). The busiest year was 2011, with 62 tornadoes. A tornado that crossed a state line is counted in each state it touched.
What was the deadliest tornado in Kentucky?
The deadliest tornado in Kentucky since 1950 was the EF4 tornado of December 10, 2021, starting in Fulton County, which killed 57 people in Kentucky. Records before 1950 are not in this database.
What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
A tornado watch means conditions are right for tornadoes to form in and near the watch area, which often covers parts of several states for several hours; it is issued by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Stay alert and know where you would shelter. A tornado warning means a tornado has been seen or shown by radar and is a threat to the warned area now; it is issued by the local National Weather Service office for a much smaller area, usually for less than an hour. A warning is the more serious of the two: go to your shelter at once.
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