Louisville, KY Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Louisville What TALON shows

Which radars cover Louisville?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Louisville, KY is KLVX (Louisville), about 22 miles to the south-southwest. 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 Louisville	View of low-level rotation
KLVX Louisville, KY	22 mi south-southwest	1,200 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KIND Indianapolis, IN	104 mi north-northwest	10,300 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KVWX Evansville, IN	107 mi west	10,600 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 Louisville'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 Louisville

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 116 tornadoes within 25 miles of Louisville, 23 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in April and June. The strongest was an F5 on April 3, 1974, which passed about 23 miles southwest of the city and caused 31 deaths. The most recent was an EF0 on December 28, 2025, which touched down about 24 miles west-southwest of the city.

Hail: 450 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Louisville since 1955, 34 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 3.00-inch hail (teacup size) on March 2, 2012.

Tornadoes since 1950	116
EF2/F2 or stronger	23
Strongest tornado	F5 · Apr 1974
Busiest tornado month	April
Largest hail	3.00 in · Mar 2012

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.

Louisville radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Louisville?

KLVX near Louisville, KY, about 22 miles away. A second radar, KIND (Indianapolis), is 104 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Louisville?

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 Louisville the lowest scan from KLVX is roughly 1,200 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Louisville?

NOAA records show 116 tornadoes within 25 miles of Louisville since 1950 — about 1.5 a year on average, most often in April and June. Most were weak, but 23 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 Louisville, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.