Lightning TrackerLouisville storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for Louisville, KY, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for Louisville, KY
Checking the National Weather Service…
Storm outlook, next 48 hours
Loading forecast…
Severe weather in Louisville by the numbers
Louisville gets regular severe thunderstorms: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 833 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 182 hail reports, 616 damaging-wind reports and 35 tornado reports. On average that is 14.4 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in March, May, June, when 59% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 3 hail reports, 85 wind reports and 4 tornado reports around Louisville; the largest hail was 1.00″ (quarter) on Feb 19, 2026.
Latest storm reports near Louisville
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Damaging wind | 16 mi E · Oldham Co. |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Damaging wind | 5 mi SE · Jefferson Co. |
| Aug 11, 2026 | Damaging wind | 10 mi S · Jefferson Co. |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Damaging wind | 22 mi NE · Clark Co. |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Damaging wind | 8 mi SW · Jefferson Co. |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Tornado | 23 mi SW · Hardin Co. |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Damaging wind | 10 mi SW · Jefferson Co. |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Damaging wind | 7 mi SW · Jefferson Co. |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Tornado | 17 mi N · Clark Co. |
| Jun 25, 2026 | Damaging wind | 6 mi E · Jefferson Co. |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in Louisville
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in Louisville
Louisville averages 4.0 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.75 inches — about the size of a baseball — reported 17 miles from the city centre on May 9, 2023. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near Louisville
There have been 35 tornado reports within 25 miles of Louisville since 2016; the strongest was rated EF3 (Apr 2, 2025, 11 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for Louisville on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near Louisville
Questions about storms in Louisville
Does Louisville get a lot of severe storms?
Louisville averages 14.4 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in Louisville?
Most severe-weather reports around Louisville come in March, May, June.
What is the biggest hail recorded near Louisville?
2.75 inches (baseball size) on May 9, 2023, 17 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near Louisville?
Yes — 35 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF3 on Apr 2, 2025.
How do I get storm alerts for Louisville?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Louisville, KY. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Louisville, KY. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Oct 1, 2026.