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.

Calloway County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank 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.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Calloway County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1964-03-04 11:30, as SPC files itUnnamedF418.5 mi3
1968-04-03 23:50, as SPC files itMurrayF450.6 mi2
2005-11-15 13:45, as SPC files itBentonF344 mi1
2021-12-10 22:32, as SPC files itNewbern to DresdenCrossed KY, TNEF3122.62 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.

Every tornado record filed for Calloway County (43)
Every tornado recorded in Calloway County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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).

The 12 most recent records kept for Calloway County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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

Records with deaths or injuries in Calloway County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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.

The costliest records in Calloway County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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).

Calloway County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind0051032455843
Hail01127424013
Winter storms––––8253920
Floods––––10213525
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds––––3193625
Heat––––51137 z25

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).

Declarations including Calloway County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3633Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2025-04-24DR-4864Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2025-04-03EM-3626Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2025-02-16EM-3624Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides
2024-07-23DR-4804Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides
2023-04-10DR-4702Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2021-04-23DR-4595FloodSevere, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2020-03-28DR-4497BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3469BiologicalCovid-19
2016-08-26DR-4278Severe StormSevere Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2015-05-12DR-4218FloodSevere Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2011-05-04DR-1976Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2009-02-05DR-1818Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm and Flooding
2009-01-28EM-3302Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-10-09DR-1802Severe StormSevere Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike
2005-09-10EM-3231HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2003-06-03DR-1471Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes
1997-03-04DR-1163Severe StormSevere Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes
1996-01-13DR-1089SnowstormBlizzard of 96
1975-03-29DR-461FloodSevere 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Calloway County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormRelatively High$857K1.5 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$13Monce in about 111 years (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$187K6.7 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$3.2Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$2.8Mabout once a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$501K56 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$343K8.1 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$673K3.8 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

  1. Calloway County 892
  2. Graves County 892
  3. Marshall County 830
  4. Trigg County 718
  5. Henry County, TN 545
  6. Stewart County, TN 407

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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