Recent Major Storm Days in Kentucky: Wind and Hail
By StormAuditor Editorial Team · Published 2026-07-21 · Updated 2026-10-07
Based on public NOAA and National Weather Service records, published under StormAuditor's methodology and data-source standards. Radar-derived hail sizes are estimates unless attributed to a ground report.
Damage-threshold ranges in this article are general guidance synthesized from industry and federal research — IBHS building-performance research, NWS severe criteria, and product standards such as UL 2218 (hail impact resistance) and ASTM D3161/D7158 (shingle wind ratings). Actual performance depends on product rating, age, installation quality, exposure, and impact characteristics — thresholds describe when damage becomes possible, not when it occurs.
Kentucky logged 5,764 storm events in all 120 counties in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026. Measured gusts reached 83 mph at Murray on August 20, hail reached 2.00 in. near Paducah on April 16, and July 21 was the busiest warning day.
Kentucky logged 5,764 storm events across all 120 counties in StormAuditor's public-record tally for the 12 months ending October 7, 2026. The busiest day was July 21, 2026, with 302 events, almost all of them NWS warnings. The strongest measured gust on recent storm days was 83 mph at Murray on August 20, 2026, and the largest hail was 2.00 inches near Paducah on April 16, 2026.
The year in numbers
Wind made up 2,828 events, hail 1,509, flood 1,101 and tornado 326 (tornado counts include warnings, not only confirmed tornadoes). In 2026 through early October, Kentucky logged 15 hail days and 40 wind days at StormAuditor's screening thresholds (45 mph wind or 0.75-inch hail, from storm reports and station gusts; warnings alone never count).
The leading counties were Jefferson (120 events), Pike (94), Harlan (83), Hardin (80), Fayette (78), Graves (77), Breathitt (72) and Floyd (69). Eastern Kentucky's Pike, Harlan, Breathitt and Floyd counties rank alongside Louisville and Lexington.
The busiest days
By event count, NWS warnings included: July 21, 2026 (302 events), August 11, 2026 (253), April 28, 2026 (242), June 18, 2026 (208) and March 16, 2026 (205).
A warning-heavy day is not always the day with the strongest storms. On July 21, the strongest gust report was 53 mph, 2 SE Hebron. On August 11, a measured report at Carlisle in Nicholas County reached 81 mph.
Notable storm days
- August 20, 2026 — the Murray airport station measured 83 mph, and a measured report 3 E Kirksey reached 82 mph, both in Calloway County.
- August 11, 2026 — 81 mph measured at Carlisle.
- August 22, 2026 — 73 mph measured 3 W Burkesville, and 1.25-inch hail at Soft Shell and Garner in Knott County.
- August 16, 2026 — 64 mph measured in the Louisville area.
- April 16, 2026 — 2.00-inch hail 5 N Boaz in McCracken County and 5 SE Reidland and 5 SSW Calvert City in Marshall County (Paducah storm day).
- April 1, 2026 — 1.75-inch hail 1 SSW Pomp and 1.50-inch hail at West Liberty, both in Morgan County.
- March 15–16, 2026 — 77 mph reported 2 NW Radcliff in Hardin County, then 73 mph reported at Mount Washington in Bullitt County.
The most recent hail of 0.75 inch or larger was 1.00 inch at Grayson in Carter County on September 21, 2026.
The NOAA record since 2010
From January 2010 through October 6, 2025, NCEI logged 13,433 entries in Kentucky over 886 storm days. Thunderstorm wind outnumbers hail about 3.7 to 1: 10,099 wind reports against 2,703 hail reports.
- Storm days: the most came in 2011, with 73; the fewest in a full year was 47, in 2021. 2022–2024 averaged 53 a year, below the 15-year average of 56.
- Largest hail: 4.50 inches (softball size) in Ballard County on May 16, 2025. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 15 different years.
- Strongest measured thunderstorm gust: 96 mph on June 25, 2023 in Todd County.
- Seasons: hail peaks in May (28% of hail reports), and April and May together hold 51%. Thunderstorm wind reports cluster in July. December through February accounts for 61 storm days.
- Tornadoes: 631 tornado entries, one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Event counts on this page come from StormAuditor's public-record tally: one event is one place on one day for each hazard type, and NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements count, so a busy warning day can outrank a day with bigger hail. The NOAA history figures come from the NCEI Storm Events Database, a separate, reviewed record with its own counting. The storm data page explains both.
Researching a date at a Kentucky address
- The Kentucky storm data page lists recent storm days, county totals and the NOAA history, with free CSV and JSON downloads.
- Address Lookup, free with an account, lists NWS warnings, storm reports and NOAA station observations near any address.
- The Free Report Snapshot gives a YES or NO on whether estimated wind reached 45 mph or estimated hail reached 0.75 inch at the address.
- The $2.99 Single Weather Report lists every qualifying storm date at one address with the estimated peak gust and estimated maximum hail size, and the Audit Report shows the evidence behind one date.
Limitations
- Warning-based counts favor counties that sit under many warning polygons; they do not show that every address was hit.
- Station networks can miss narrow gusts between instruments, and reported winds are often estimated from damage.
- Public records can change after publication. None of this is a damage determination or a finding of cause. See Limitations.
Frequently asked questions
When was the last major hail storm in Kentucky?
The largest hail in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 was 2.00 inches in McCracken and Marshall counties on April 16, 2026. The most recent hail of 0.75 inch or larger was 1.00 inch at Grayson on September 21, 2026.
What is the largest hail on record in Kentucky?
4.50 inches (softball size) in Ballard County on May 16, 2025, the largest in NOAA's NCEI records for Kentucky since 2010.
What was the strongest recent wind gust in Kentucky?
On the state's recent storm days, the strongest measured gust was 83 mph at the Murray airport station on August 20, 2026. NOAA's strongest measured thunderstorm gust since 2010 is 96 mph, in Todd County on June 25, 2023.
Which Kentucky county has the most storm events?
Jefferson County, with 120 events in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026, followed by Pike with 94.
What wind and hail sizes are severe?
The National Weather Service severe thunderstorm criteria are a gust of 58 mph or more or hail of 1.00 inch or larger.