Greenup County, Kentucky

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21089 · population 35,905 · 344 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 517 records for Greenup County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 366 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (181 records). The deadliest single record is the December 16, 2019 flood: 1 death and $29,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 33 declarations naming the county since 1967, 31 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
517on 366 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
27 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$61Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
5strongest F3
FEMA declarations
33latest 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 Greenup County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 181 since 1957. 48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 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.

Greenup County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 181 106 1957-2026 1 0 $1.9M 75 of 118
Floods 94 75 1996-2026 1 0 $24M 27 of 118
Winter storms 62 61 1996-2026 0 0 $1.5M 55 of 118
Hail 60 37 1976-2025 0 0 $1.1M 67 of 118
Extreme cold 30 30 1996-2026 0 0 $602K 24 of 118
High wind and dust storms 30 30 1999-2026 0 1 $189K 24 of 118
Heat 20 20 1997-2011 0 0 – 24 of 118
Drought 19 19 1999-2026 0 0 – 23 of 118
Heavy rain 11 11 1998-2009 0 0 $14K 21 of 118
Tornadoes 5 5 1968-2024 0 5 $32M 91 of 118
Lightning 3 3 2011-2017 0 1 $32K 23 of 118
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 2012-2014 0 0 – 38 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 Greenup County had?

NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Greenup County from 1968 to 2024, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 5 injuries recorded in the county. 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 7 tornadoes whose track touched Greenup County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Greenup County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1968-04-23 14:55, as SPC files itSouth ShoreF30.1 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.

Every tornado record filed for Greenup County (5)
Every tornado recorded in Greenup County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-04-02 Greenup County EF1 6.77 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $1.9M
2022-05-26 Load, Greenup County EF1 0.82 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $20K
1998-05-24 Kehoe, Greenup County F0 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $27K
1980-07-12 Greenup County F2 23 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1968-04-23 Greenup County F3 0 5 $2.5M 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 Greenup County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 22, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,500 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Greenup County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindArgillite, Greenup County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-18 Thunderstorm WindWorthington, Greenup County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-18 Thunderstorm WindYork, Greenup County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-18 Thunderstorm WindLynn, Greenup County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-18 Thunderstorm WindSouth Portsmouth, Greenup County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-05-27 Flash FloodLimeville, Greenup County 0 0 –
2026-05-27 Flash FloodBeechy, Greenup County 0 0 –
2026-05-24 FloodLynn, Greenup County 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup 0 0 –
2026-03-16 Strong WindGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup 32 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-13 Strong WindGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup 36 kt wind 0 0 $4K
2026-03-02 Winter WeatherGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup 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 Greenup County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-12-16 FloodHunnewell, Greenup County Multiple roads were closed due to flooding, including State Route 1 and 784 due to flooding along Lost Creek and Three Prong Branch. A vehicle drove into the high water along State Route 1, but the driver was able to self rescue and was not injured. Route 503 was closed due to high water on Culp Creek. Tygarts Creek ... 1 0 $29K
2007-08-16 Thunderstorm WindFlatwoods, Greenup County Behind the initial severe thunderstorms, winds remained gusty in training thunderstorms and showers. A tree fell onto the cab of a pickup truck traveling on Happy Ridge Road. The 35 year old male driver was killed. 40 kt wind 1 0 $7K
1968-04-23 TornadoGreenup County F3 0 5 $2.5M step
2018-11-06 Strong WindGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup A cold front crossed the middle Ohio River Valley and central Appalachians early on the the 6th. In the wake of its passage, strong wind gusts lingered in the region for most of the day. This resulted in a tree falling on a woman in Greenup County around noon, causing her to be hospitalized due to injuries. A nearby ... 27 kt wind 0 1 $588
2011-09-14 LightningLloyd, Greenup County A fire to an outbuilding was ignited when lightning hit an antenna. A Lloyd firefighter was then injured due to his close proximity to another lightning strike. He was having hearing problems. He was treated at a hospital and released. 0 1 $7K

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 Greenup County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2010-05-02 FloodSouth Shore, Greenup County 0 0 $4.7M
1996-07-31 Flash FloodCountywide, Greenup County 0 0 $4.7M
2024-04-02 TornadoGreenup County EF1 6.77 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $1.9M
1997-03-02 Flash FloodCountywide, Greenup County 0 0 $1.8M
2000-02-18 Flash FloodCountywide, Greenup County 0 0 $1.3M
2002-03-20 FloodGreenup County · forecast zone Greenup 0 0 $1.1M
2011-09-14 HailLloyd, Greenup County 2.00 in hail 0 0 $984K
2012-06-29 Thunderstorm WindSouth Shore, Greenup County 52 kt wind 0 0 $964K

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 23, 1968 (tornado, Greenup County); July 12, 1980 (tornado, Greenup County).

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 Greenup 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).

Greenup County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind13227225787
Floods––––6212740
Winter storms––––5112422
Hail0020718312
Extreme cold––––111171
High wind and dust storms––––15915

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

What time of year?

48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 47 · Feb 53 · Mar 54 · Apr 54 · May 69 · Jun 68 · Jul 61 · Aug 20 · Sep 26 · Oct 19 · Nov 16 · Dec 30 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Greenup County

FEMA's register lists 33 declarations that include Greenup County: 26 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (17) and flood (5).

Declarations including Greenup 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
2025-02-24DR-4860Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2025-02-16EM-3624Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides
2024-11-26DR-4848Tropical StormRemnants of Hurricane Helene
2024-07-23DR-4804Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides
2024-05-22DR-4782Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides
2021-04-23DR-4595FloodSevere, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2021-03-31DR-4592Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides
2020-03-28DR-4497BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3469BiologicalCovid-19
2019-04-17DR-4428Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2018-04-26DR-4361FloodSevere Storms, 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
2010-05-11DR-1912Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes
2009-02-05DR-1818Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm and Flooding
2009-01-28EM-3302Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2005-09-10EM-3231HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2004-06-10DR-1523Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides
2003-07-02DR-1475Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes
2003-06-03DR-1471Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes
2003-03-14DR-1454Severe StormSevere Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and
2002-04-04DR-1407Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2000-02-28DR-1320Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1998-03-03DR-1207Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
1997-03-04DR-1163Severe StormSevere Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes
1996-01-13DR-1089SnowstormBlizzard of 96
1993-03-16EM-3104SnowstormSevere Snowfall & Winter Storm
1989-02-24DR-821FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1968-05-04DR-237TornadoTornadoes & Severe Storms
1967-03-27DR-226FloodSevere 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 Greenup County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 94 flood or flash flood records for Greenup County from 1996 to 2026, on 75 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Greenup County ranks 410th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $10.8 million on 713 claims filed in Greenup County; the most in one year was 93 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 18 · 1979: 12 · 1982: 8 · 1985: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 4 · 1990: 6 · 1991: 2 · 1993: 5 · 1994: 25 · 1995: 2 · 1996: 25 · 1997: 93 · 1998: 10 · 1999: 1 · 2000: 46 · 2001: 5 · 2002: 32 · 2003: 46 · 2004: 48 · 2005: 21 · 2007: 10 · 2008: 22 · 2009: 10 · 2010: 25 · 2011: 34 · 2012: 3 · 2013: 11 · 2014: 6 · 2015: 23 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 37 · 2019: 23 · 2020: 18 · 2021: 27 · 2022: 14 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 13 · 2025: 20; 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 Greenup County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Greenup County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.9 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 Greenup County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.4M4.3 modeled event-days a year
LandslideRelatively Low$27Kabout once a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$11M2.1 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$123Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$210K49 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$501K2.4 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$54K8.5 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$841Konce in about 9 years (modeled)

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

Counties that share a border with Greenup County

  1. Scioto County, OH 708
  2. Lawrence County, OH 595
  3. Greenup County 517
  4. Boyd County 453
  5. Carter County 403
  6. Lewis County 313

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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