Bowling Green, KY Tornado History — 82 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Bowling Green, KY had?
Bowling Green has had 82 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 8 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Bowling Green?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Bowling Green was an EF1 on May 16, 2025.
When is tornado season in Bowling Green?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Bowling Green, with 17 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Bowling Green
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 35 total, averaging 1.8 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Bowling Green since December 29, 2025
These are 4 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Bowling Green. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Bowling Green
28 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Bowling Green since 1950, across 7 events. 240 injuries have been reported across all events. 2021 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF3 on December 11, 2021, which caused 16 fatalities along a 29.3-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Bowling Green
About Tornadoes in Bowling Green
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
South-central Kentucky lies where humid Gulf of Mexico air rides north over the Pennyroyal Plateau and collides with cold fronts dropping out of the continental interior, a clash that primes rotating thunderstorms in spring and returns when the jet stream digs south in early winter. Bowling Green sits near the heart of that corridor, and its tornado history reflects the pattern: turbulent spring afternoons and dangerous December nights have each left a mark on the city, in a record stretching from the 1950s to the present decade.
The record kept by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center here spans generations of residents. An F2 tornado moved through on March 5, 1955, injuring 4 people. During the outbreak of April 3, 1974, an F3 traced a 31.1-mile path near the city, killing 3 people and injuring 57. Another F3 struck on April 16, 1998, running 48 miles and claiming 2 lives. On the night of December 11, 2021, an EF3 tore directly through Bowling Green, killing 16 people and injuring 63, a storm still fresh in local memory. An EF3 returned on December 9, 2023, injuring 62 people, and an EF1 touched down as recently as May 17, 2025. Grandparents, parents, and children here have each lived through a chapter of this history, and the event list elsewhere on this page fills in the rest.