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Kentucky · County tornado history

Hardin County, Kentucky tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 28 tornadoes in Hardin County, Kentucky from 1950 through 2024, about one every 2.7 years. That ranks it 10 of 120 counties in Kentucky with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF2 on June 25, 2023.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
28
Since 2000
16
Strongest
F4, April 3, 1974
Most recent
EF2, June 25, 2023
Peak month
May (7)
Per 1,000 sq mi
45
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively Moderate

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Hardin County

May has brought the most, 7 of 28. About 54% touched down between 6 pm and 12 am (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 25% of the total, a sign of the cool-season storms common in the South.

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 3
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 13
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 11
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 0
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 1
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Hardin County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
April 3, 1974 F4 37.9 mi 10 yd 3 81
March 29, 1974 F2 1 mi 100 yd 8
May 11, 2003 F2 6.5 mi 120 yd 5
October 1, 1977 F2 2 mi 33 yd
May 13, 1995 F2 15 mi 200 yd
May 18, 1995 F2 0.5 mi 200 yd
January 2, 2006 F2 8.4 mi 150 yd
February 5, 2008 EF2 7.1 mi 400 yd
February 5, 2008 EF2 1 mi 300 yd
April 26, 2011 EF2 3 mi 440 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Hardin County was an F4 on April 3, 1974. It killed 3 people and injured 81 along its 37.9-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
June 25, 2023 EF2 1.2 mi 300 yd
March 18, 2022 EF0 1.8 mi 80 yd
March 18, 2022 EF1 4.1 mi 100 yd
December 11, 2021 EF1 1.9 mi 50 yd
October 31, 2018 EF1 2.5 mi 80 yd
July 10, 2015 EF0 2.5 mi 100 yd
February 29, 2012 EF2 5 mi 250 yd
April 26, 2011 EF1 0.7 mi 125 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Hardin County as relatively moderate, with a score of 84 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.45 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $5,185,511 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Hardin County had?

28 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 16 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Hardin County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF2 on June 25, 2023. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Hardin County?

An F4 on April 3, 1974, with a 37.9-mile path.

When is tornado season in Hardin County?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.