Calloway County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21035 · population 37,069 · 385 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 892 records for Calloway County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 712 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (193 records). The deadliest single record is the April 3, 1968 tornado: 1 death and 15 injuries. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1975, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 892on 712 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 551 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $91Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 43strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Calloway County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 193 since 1970. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1970 fell in May and June. The rank column places the county among Kentucky's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 193 | 160 | 1970-2026 | 1 | 4 | $8.3M | 34 of 118 |
| Hail | 106 | 85 | 1967-2025 | 0 | 0 | $252K | 8 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 92 | 92 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 1 | $24M | 37 of 118 |
| Floods | 91 | 82 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 5 | $5.4M | 29 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 83 | 81 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 118 |
| Heat | 78 | 78 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 5 | – | 14 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 70 | 70 | 1997-2025 | 1 | 1 | $3.8M | 15 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 62 | 62 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $34K | 17 of 118 |
| Drought | 44 | 44 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 11 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 43 | 38 | 1963-2024 | 1 | 35 | $34M | 1 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 24 | 23 | 2003-2016 | 0 | 0 | $10K | 5 of 118 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 1999-2019 | 1 | 0 | $27K | 13 of 118 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2004-2004 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 of 118 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Calloway County had?
NOAA records 43 tornadoes in Calloway County from 1963 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 35 injuries recorded in the county. That is 1st of 118 Kentucky counties and 42nd of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 45 tornadoes whose track touched Calloway County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 43: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 6 people, 1 of them in Calloway County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-03-04 11:30, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F4 | 18.5 mi | 3 |
| 1968-04-03 23:50, as SPC files it | Murray | F4 | 50.6 mi | 2 |
| 2005-11-15 13:45, as SPC files it | Benton | F3 | 44 mi | 1 |
| 2021-12-10 22:32, as SPC files it | Newbern to DresdenCrossed KY, TN | EF3 | 122.62 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Calloway County (43)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-26 | Lynn Grove, Calloway County | EF1 22.01 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $75K |
| 2024-05-26 | Faxon, Calloway County | EF1 3.99 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 2023-04-05 | Stella, Calloway County | EF0 5.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $97K |
| 2021-12-10 | New Concord, Calloway County | EF1 0.74 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 2021-12-06 | Lynn Grove, Calloway County | EF1 7.25 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $245K |
| 2018-02-24 | Taylors Store, Calloway County | EF1 6.07 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $411K |
| 2018-02-24 | Murray, Calloway County | EF1 1.41 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $646K |
| 2017-03-09 | Murray, Calloway County | EF1 5.61 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $90K |
| 2017-02-28 | Taylors Store, Calloway County | EF0 4.74 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $42K |
| 2016-07-03 | Coldwater, Calloway County | EF0 0.37 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-03-12 | Midway, Calloway County | EF0 0.32 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $37K |
| 2013-12-21 | Wadesboro, Calloway County | EF0 0.33 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2013-01-29 | Lynn Grove, Calloway County | EF0 2.12 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $32K |
| 2012-01-22 | Hazel, Calloway County | EF1 5.64 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $64K |
| 2011-05-25 | New Concord, Calloway County | EF0 0.39 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2011-05-25 | Copeland, Calloway County | EF0 0.27 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2011-04-25 | Wadesboro, Calloway County | EF0 0.76 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | $105K |
| 2010-05-01 | Pottertown, Calloway County | EF0 6.04 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 2009-07-04 | Almo, Calloway County | EF0 0.98 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $18K |
| 2009-04-30 | Almo, Calloway County | EF0 0.73 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2009-04-10 | Almo, Calloway County | EF0 0.26 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $275K |
| 2008-02-05 | Pottertown, Calloway County | EF1 1.43 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2007-10-18 | Murray, Calloway County | EF1 7.23 mi x 180 yd | 0 | 0 | $85K |
| 2005-11-15 | Backusburg, Calloway County | F1 1 mi x 275 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2004-10-18 | Hazel, Calloway County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2003-08-22 | Lynn Grove, Calloway County | F0 4 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-04 | Murray, Calloway County | F2 1.8 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $561K |
| 2001-11-24 | Hazel, Calloway County | F2 11.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 4 | $1.4M |
| 2000-05-26 | Midway, Calloway County | F2 1.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 4 | $428K |
| 2000-05-23 | Murray, Calloway County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-05-23 | Murray, Calloway County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2000-05-23 | Almo, Calloway County | F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $86K |
| 1999-07-01 | Murray, Calloway County | F1 9 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $177K |
| 1994-06-26 | Calloway County | F1 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 1982-04-02 | Calloway County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1979-03-23 | Calloway County | F1 0.5 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1979-02-23 | Calloway County | F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1973-11-26 | Calloway County | F1 0.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1971-02-19 | Calloway County | F0 15.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1968-04-03 | Calloway County | F4 9.2 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 15 | $2.5M step |
| 1967-05-01 | Calloway County | F1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1964-03-04 | Calloway County | F4 4.9 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1963-07-13 | Calloway County | F1 1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Calloway County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-25 | Dense FogCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindMurray, Calloway County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindAlmo, Calloway County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-27 | Dense FogCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Dense FogCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-03 | Dense FogCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Cold/Wind ChillCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-26 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Cold/Wind ChillCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-08 | Dense FogCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-03 | TornadoCalloway County | F4 9.2 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 15 | $2.5M step |
| 2023-03-03 | High WindCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway A strong storm system led to significant impacts. Heavy rainfall amounts of 3 to 4.5 inches produced areas of flash flooding, with numerous road closures. The heavy rain drove the Ohio River above flood stage at Uniontown. Very strong wind gusts occurred, ranging between 50 and about 70 mph. These were associated with ... | 54 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $48K |
| 2022-03-07 | Thunderstorm WindMidway, Calloway County Due to a combination of heavy rain and strong winds, a semi-trailer carrying logs overturned on U.S. Highway 641 south of Murray. The driver was ejected from the cab and died (indirect). Highway 641 was closed for several hours. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2019-06-23 | LightningMurray, Calloway County Eyewitnesses observed lightning strike next to a woman on the campus of Murray State University. The 50-year-old woman immediately collapsed. CPR was administered, and she died shortly thereafter at a Tennessee hospital. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway This historic, prolonged ice storm was called the biggest disaster in modern Kentucky history by the governor of Kentucky. The storm produced at least one inch of ice across western Kentucky. Locally very destructive icing around 1.5 inches occurred from the Mississippi River counties east across Paducah and ... | 1 | 0 | $24M | |
| 1964-03-04 | TornadoCalloway County | F4 4.9 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 2005-07-21 | HeatCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway Several days of excessive heat and humidity caused a significant increase in heat-related illnesses. A 46-year-old construction worker from Livingston County suffered a heart attack in which heat was a factor, but heat was not the direct cause of death. The heat index peaked around 110 degrees each afternoon, and ... | 0 | 5 | – | |
| 2007-12-15 | FloodCopeland, Calloway County Rescue personnel were called to assist an SUV that was trapped in floodwaters at the Clarks River bridge on Martins Chapel Road. As the rescue personnel arrived in their own SUV, their own vehicle was swept down the river and overturned. Everybody was eventually rescued without any serious injuries. The four occupants ... | 0 | 4 | $14K |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-14 | High WindCalloway County · forecast zone Calloway | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.4M |
| 2021-02-28 | Flash FloodPottertown, Calloway County | 0 | 0 | $3.2M | |
| 2011-04-25 | Thunderstorm WindMurray, Calloway County | 88 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2001-11-24 | TornadoHazel, Calloway County | F2 11.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 4 | $1.4M |
| 2009-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindMurray, Calloway County | 91 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $688K |
| 2018-02-24 | TornadoMurray, Calloway County | EF1 1.41 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $646K |
| 2023-07-19 | Flash FloodLynn Grove, Calloway County | 0 | 0 | $484K | |
| 2000-05-26 | TornadoMidway, Calloway County | F2 1.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 4 | $428K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 3, 1968 (tornado, Calloway County, 1 killed).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Calloway County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 32 | 45 | 58 | 43 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 42 | 40 | 13 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 25 | 39 | 20 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 10 | 21 | 35 | 25 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 3 | 19 | 36 | 25 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 5 | 11 | 37 z | 25 |
Heat in the 2010s: 37 records against 11 in the decade before, 37 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Calloway County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1970 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 90 · Feb 94 · Mar 81 · Apr 91 · May 107 · Jun 84 · Jul 100 · Aug 56 · Sep 32 · Oct 39 · Nov 50 · Dec 68 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Calloway County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Calloway County: 14 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and flood (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3633 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2025-04-24 | DR-4864 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2025-04-03 | EM-3626 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-02-16 | EM-3624 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4804 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2021-04-23 | DR-4595 | Flood | Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4497 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3469 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2016-08-26 | DR-4278 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-05-12 | DR-4218 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2011-05-04 | DR-1976 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2009-02-05 | DR-1818 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding |
| 2009-01-28 | EM-3302 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-10-09 | DR-1802 | Severe Storm | Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3231 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2003-06-03 | DR-1471 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes |
| 1997-03-04 | DR-1163 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1089 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1975-03-29 | DR-461 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Calloway County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 91 flood or flash flood records for Calloway County from 1997 to 2025, on 82 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Calloway County ranks 1944th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.1 million on 28 claims filed in Calloway County; the most in one year was 5 in 2016. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 2 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Calloway County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Calloway County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $28.8 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $857K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $13M | once in about 111 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $187K | 6.7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.2M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.8M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $501K | 56 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $343K | 8.1 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $673K | 3.8 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Calloway County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in KentuckyEvery Kentucky tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in KentuckyThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Kentucky recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Calloway CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Calloway County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis