Lexington, KY Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Lexington in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Lexington What TALON shows

Which radars cover Lexington?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Lexington, KY is KJKL (Jackson), about 72 miles to the east-southeast. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Lexington	View of low-level rotation
KJKL Jackson, KY	72 mi east-southeast	5,900 ft	Good — low-level rotation is usually visible
KLVX Louisville, KY	79 mi west	6,700 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KILN Wilmington, OH	102 mi north-northeast	9,900 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Lexington's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Lexington

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 77 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lexington, 24 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in April and May. The strongest was an F4 on April 3, 1974, which passed about 16 miles southeast of the city and caused 7 deaths. The most recent was an EF1 on October 19, 2025, which touched down about 13 miles south-southwest of the city.

Hail: 208 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Lexington since 1955, 24 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.00-inch hail (softball size) on July 10, 1966.

Tornadoes since 1950	77
EF2/F2 or stronger	24
Strongest tornado	F4 · Apr 1974
Busiest tornado month	April
Largest hail	4.00 in · Jul 1966

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Lexington radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Lexington?

KJKL near Jackson, KY, about 72 miles away. A second radar, KLVX (Louisville), is 79 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Lexington?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Lexington the lowest scan from KJKL is roughly 5,900 ft up. Good — low-level rotation is usually visible. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Lexington?

NOAA records show 77 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lexington since 1950 — about 1.0 a year on average, most often in April and May. Most were weak, but 24 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Lexington, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.