Henderson County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21101 · population 44,764 · 436 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 881 records for Henderson County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 759 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (153 records). 504 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 30, 2024 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone Henderson, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 24 declarations naming the county since 1996, 22 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on September 1, 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
- 881on 759 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 642 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $135Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 28strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 24latest 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 Henderson County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 153 since 1955. 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 | 153 | 126 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 4 | $2.4M | 82 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 117 | 117 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 6 | $16M | 31 of 118 |
| Floods | 111 | 105 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 2 | $55M | 22 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 99 | 97 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 118 |
| Hail | 82 | 61 | 1974-2025 | 0 | 0 | $10K | 29 of 118 |
| Heat | 82 | 82 | 1997-2025 | 1 | 7 | – | 16 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 80 | 80 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 2 | $18M | 13 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 75 | 75 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $5.7M | 16 of 118 |
| Drought | 35 | 35 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 18 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 28 | 25 | 1956-2023 | 0 | 21 | $22M | 17 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 15 | 15 | 2004-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 118 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 2000-2011 | 0 | 0 | $32K | 35 of 118 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2004-2004 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 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 Henderson County had?
NOAA records 28 tornadoes in Henderson County from 1956 to 2023, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 21 injuries recorded in the county. That is 17th 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 27 tornadoes whose track touched Henderson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 28: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 25 people, 0 of them in Henderson County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-11-06 01:39, as SPC files it | EvansvilleCrossed IN, KY | F3 | 41.3 mi | 24 |
| 1956-04-03 16:00, as SPC files it | Dixon to Robards | F3 | 22.9 mi | 1 |
| 2013-11-17 14:41, as SPC files it | Morganfield | EF3 | 14.12 mi | 0 |
| 2009-03-28 15:40, as SPC files it | Corydon | EF3 | 12.35 mi | 0 |
| 1960-06-28 23:30, as SPC files it | Morganfield | F3 | 14.2 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Henderson County (28)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-03 | Smith Mills, Henderson County | EF1 2.14 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 2020-03-28 | Corydon, Henderson County | EF2 16.79 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $570K |
| 2020-03-28 | Wells Store, Henderson County | EF1 0.86 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2019-03-14 | Robards, Henderson County | EF0 0.88 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-03-14 | Smith Mills, Henderson County | EF0 1.25 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2019-02-07 | Robards, Henderson County | EF1 1.4 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2015-04-25 | Dixie, Henderson County | EF0 0.75 mi x 275 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2014-08-17 | Niagara, Henderson County | EF1 1.65 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $56K |
| 2013-11-17 | Kings Mills, Henderson County | EF2 3.81 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $317K |
| 2012-03-02 | Rock Spgs, Henderson County | EF0 3.84 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $64K |
| 2012-02-29 | White City, Henderson County | EF1 1.29 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 2 | $103K |
| 2011-04-22 | Tunnel Hill, Henderson County | EF2 4.58 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $105K |
| 2009-06-11 | Carlinburg, Henderson County | EF0 0.73 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-03-28 | Kings Mills, Henderson County | EF3 9.32 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 2 | $688K |
| 2005-11-06 | Smith Mills, Henderson County | F3 5.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2005-11-06 | Henderson County | F3 3.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 8 | $11M |
| 2004-05-27 | Spottsville, Henderson County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $70K |
| 2003-05-06 | Corydon, Henderson County | F1 11 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $561K |
| 1990-06-06 | Henderson County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1989-05-19 | Henderson County | F1 2.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-05-31 | Henderson County | F2 12 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 4 | $2.5M step |
| 1979-04-11 | Henderson County | F2 8.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 5 | – |
| 1973-06-20 | Henderson County | F1 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-12-15 | Henderson County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-12-11 | Henderson County | F2 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1966-07-06 | Henderson County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1960-06-28 | Henderson County | F3 7.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1956-04-03 | Henderson County | F3 11.7 mi x 223 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 Henderson County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 27, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindHenderson County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindZion, Henderson County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindHenderson County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 2026-04-25 | Dense FogHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-02 | Strong WindHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 36 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-02-27 | Dense FogHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Dense FogHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Dense FogHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-31 | Cold/Wind ChillHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Cold/Wind ChillHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-30 | Winter WeatherHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson Early morning on the 30th a frontal passage approached Northwest Kentucky from the northwest. Southerly winds around 5-10 mph ahead of the front tended to lift temperatures above freezing ahead of the fronts' approach in locations further west. Northwest Kentucky, however, had cooler early AM low temperatures of ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-03-07 | FloodHenderson County Minor flooding occurred on the Ohio River. Numerous secondary roads in low-lying bottomlands were underwater. One motorist died after driving down a flooded road in a remote area adjacent to Audubon State Park. The body of the 55-year-old man was found in the water near his truck about 17 days after he went missing. A ... | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| 2013-03-22 | FloodBaskett, Henderson County Minor flooding occurred along the Ohio River in Henderson County. Some low-lying fields were underwater. A few river access roads were underwater. At the end of a secondary road near the confluence of the Green and Ohio Rivers, a 70-year-old man drowned after driving into floodwaters. The man was discovered by a ... | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson 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 | $15M | |
| 2008-07-20 | HeatHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson Hot and humid conditions prevailed as a large upper-level ridge of high pressure covered the south central United States. On the 21st, the heat index peaked between 105 and 110 degrees for a few hours at Henderson and Owensboro. Heat indirectly contributed to the death of a 49-year-old man working in his garden. ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-04-23 | High WindHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson An 84-year-old woman was killed in Reed when her camper trailer was flipped several times by high winds. The winds peeled a tarpaper roof off a Henderson County school. | 1 | 0 | $47K | |
| 2005-11-06 | TornadoHenderson County The tornado that would cause mass casualties in the Evansville, Indiana area crossed the Ohio River a second time. This second crossing was from Vanderburgh County, Indiana into Henderson County. The tornado then crossed the river a third time less than a mile west of the U.S. Highway 41 twin bridges. The river does ... | F3 3.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 8 | $11M |
| 2005-07-21 | HeatHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson 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 | 7 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-11-15 | Flash FloodCountywide, Henderson County | 0 | 0 | $26M | |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 1 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2005-11-06 | TornadoHenderson County | F3 3.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 8 | $11M |
| 1997-03-01 | FloodHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | $9.2M | |
| 2011-05-01 | FloodBaskett, Henderson County | 0 | 0 | $7.9M | |
| 2004-09-22 | FloodHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | $5.5M | |
| 2009-03-28 | TornadoKings Mills, Henderson County | EF3 9.32 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 2 | $688K |
| 2005-01-07 | FloodHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson | 0 | 0 | $680K |
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: May 31, 1982 (tornado, Henderson 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 Henderson 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 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 38 | 33 | 29 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 11 | 35 | 50 | 21 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 14 | 36 | 33 | 28 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 3 | 19 | 47 | 30 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 30 | 17 | 8 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 5 | 14 | 34 | 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Henderson County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 94 · Feb 93 · Mar 97 · Apr 107 · May 77 · Jun 70 · Jul 85 · Aug 59 · Sep 38 · Oct 44 · Nov 47 · Dec 70 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Henderson County
FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Henderson County: 18 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (15) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4937 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2025-02-24 | DR-4860 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2025-02-16 | EM-3624 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-04-24 | DR-4540 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4497 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3469 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-04-17 | DR-4428 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2018-04-26 | DR-4361 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2011-05-04 | DR-1976 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2010-05-11 | DR-1912 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 2004-06-10 | DR-1523 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2003-06-03 | DR-1471 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes |
| 2002-05-07 | DR-1414 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 2000-01-10 | DR-1310 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Storms, Torrential Rains, and Flash Flooding |
| 1997-03-04 | DR-1163 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1089 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
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 Henderson County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 111 flood or flash flood records for Henderson County from 1996 to 2025, on 105 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Henderson County ranks 624th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6.3 million on 380 claims filed in Henderson County; the most in one year was 57 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1981: 3 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 16 · 1984: 3 · 1985: 2 · 1989: 1 · 1995: 7 · 1996: 6 · 1997: 46 · 1998: 4 · 2000: 7 · 2001: 6 · 2005: 57 · 2006: 46 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 37 · 2009: 1 · 2011: 43 · 2012: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2018: 38 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 38; 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 Henderson County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henderson County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $28.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $1.7M | 4.4 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $587K | 1.2 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $7.6M | once in about 147 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $151K | 8.1 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $14M | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $510K | 6.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $984K | 8.2 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $364K | 3 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 Henderson 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 Henderson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Henderson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)24 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis