Garrard County, Kentucky

What hazards hit Garrard County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 111 since 1969. 45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1969 fell in June and July. 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.

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 Garrard County had?

NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Garrard County from 1974 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 49th of 118 Kentucky 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 11 tornadoes whose track touched Garrard County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 9 people, 0 of them in Garrard County.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.

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 Garrard County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 25, 2018 tornado ($59,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A small and brief EF1 tornado touched down near a ridge-top on Gillespie Pike east of Lancaster. The tornado first uprooted a tree, then came to a small shed, which it shifted off its foundation into a fence. The main property for that shed then had a loss of roof covering as well as impact from debris. Another outbuilding was overturned and slid about 10 feet. The tornado then crossed the street, where a brick veneer home lost part of its outer wall, as it was struck by debris, as well as some roof damage. A couple of columns on the porch fell. The adjoining garage lost its roof and doors were bent inward, falling onto the vehicles inside. A barn behind the house collapsed and another outbuilding completely lost its walls, but the contents were not disturbed. This is the point where the tornado lifted.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 735025)

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

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 Garrard 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1969 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Garrard County

FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Garrard County: 13 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and severe ice storm (3).

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 Garrard County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 35 flood or flash flood records for Garrard County from 1996 to 2026, on 25 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Garrard County ranks 2046th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $948,000 on 23 claims filed in Garrard County; the most in one year was 6 in 2025. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Garrard County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Garrard County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.8 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Garrard County

1. Madison County 459
2. Rockcastle County 437
3. Mercer County 249
4. Lincoln County 247
5. Jessamine County 232
6. Garrard County 224
7. Boyle County 220

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 Garrard CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Garrard County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis