Henry County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21103 · population 15,661 · 286 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 269 records for Henry County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 195 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (126 records). The deadliest single record is the April 1, 1974 tornado: 1 death and 20 injuries. FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1974, 21 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
- 269on 195 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 146 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $28Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 17strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 23latest 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 Henry County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 126 since 1965. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1965 fell in April and May. 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 | 126 | 96 | 1965-2026 | 0 | 5 | $1.1M | 63 of 118 |
| Hail | 52 | 37 | 1968-2025 | 0 | 0 | $18K | 46 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 35 | 35 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 79 of 118 |
| Floods | 27 | 22 | 1996-2020 | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | 103 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 17 | 15 | 1971-2024 | 1 | 41 | $21M | 25 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 6 | 6 | 2016-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 75 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 4 | 4 | 1999-2023 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 97 of 118 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2014-2017 | 0 | 0 | $49K | 34 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 Henry County had?
NOAA records 17 tornadoes in Henry County from 1971 to 2024, the strongest rated EF3, with 1 death and 41 injuries recorded in the county. That is 25th 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 18 tornadoes whose track touched Henry County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 17: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-01 18:20, as SPC files it | Campbellsburg | F3 | 3.3 mi | 1 |
| 2011-02-28 03:59, as SPC files it | Eminence | EF3 | 2.26 mi | 0 |
| 1990-06-02 21:30, as SPC files it | La Grange | F3 | 10 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Henry County (17)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-02 | Jericho, Henry County | EF1 7.78 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-02-10 | Port Royal, Henry County | EF1 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-01-12 | Pleasureville, Henry County | EF1 1.27 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-04-05 | Bellview, Henry County | EF1 1.72 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2017-03-01 | Turners Station, Henry County | EF1 1.08 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2012-03-02 | Port Royal, Henry County | EF1 0.25 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-02-28 | Bellview, Henry County | EF3 2.26 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $656K |
| 2004-05-27 | Smithfield, Henry County | F2 7.8 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.9M |
| 1993-02-21 | Henry County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $102K |
| 1992-11-22 | Henry County | F0 3 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1992-11-22 | Henry County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1992-09-18 | Henry County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1990-06-02 | Henry County | F1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-06-02 | Henry County | F3 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1974-04-03 | Henry County | F1 21.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 18 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-01 | Henry County | F3 3.3 mi x 300 yd | 1 | 20 | $2.5M step |
| 1971-07-18 | Henry County | F2 | 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 Henry County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 12, 2019 thunderstorm wind (2 injuries and $17,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Two children were on their way to school driving east of Campbellsburg on Bishops Lane when a tree blew down in front of their car. The driver stopped the vehicle, so they wouldn't hit the tree. After stopping, another tree blew down on their vehicle. The two children had to be rescued by the fire department. After the crash, one child was wearing a neck brace due to a neck injury. The other child had an ongoing headache.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 818709)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindLacie, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindEminence, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindBethlehem, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindEminence, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindPort Royal, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindLockport, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindNew Castle, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindPendleton, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindSmithfield, Henry County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormHenry County · forecast zone Henry | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-11 | Heavy SnowHenry County · forecast zone Henry | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | Heavy SnowHenry County · forecast zone Henry | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-01 | TornadoHenry County | F3 3.3 mi x 300 yd | 1 | 20 | $2.5M step |
| 1974-04-03 | TornadoHenry County | F1 21.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 18 | $25K step |
| 1996-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindDrennon, Henry County A roof collapsed, and a mobile home was destroyed due to thunderstorm winds. 3 men received minor injuries. | 0 | 3 | $28K | |
| 2019-04-12 | Thunderstorm WindLacie, Henry County Two children were on their way to school driving east of Campbellsburg on Bishops Lane when a tree blew down in front of their car. The driver stopped the vehicle, so they wouldn't hit the tree. After stopping, another tree blew down on their vehicle. The two children had to be rescued by the fire department. After ... | 56 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $17K |
| 2004-05-27 | TornadoSmithfield, Henry County The tornado first touched down IN an open area east of Smithfield in southwest Henry County. It then moved east and crossed highway 55 north of Eminence. The tornado reached its maximum intensity as it moved between U.S. 421 and the Eminence-Point Pleasant Road. The tornado finally crossed Sweeney Lane and weakened or ... | F2 7.8 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.9M |
| 2011-02-28 | TornadoBellview, Henry County A NWS storm survey confirmed an EF-3 tornado with wind speeds of up to 140 mph in Henry county. The tornado touched down just to the southwest of KY 1899 (Mulberry Pike), crossing into Springhill Estates subdivision. Two homes were destroyed here along with three outbuildings. Trees were uprooted and snapped. The ... | EF3 2.26 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $656K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-27 | TornadoSmithfield, Henry County | F2 7.8 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.9M |
| 1997-03-01 | FloodHenry County · forecast zone Henry | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 1997-03-02 | FloodHenry County · forecast zone Henry | 0 | 0 | $2.0M | |
| 2011-02-28 | TornadoBellview, Henry County | EF3 2.26 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $656K |
| 2008-02-06 | Thunderstorm WindSulphur, Henry County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 1993-02-21 | TornadoHenry County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $102K |
| 1996-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindDrennon, Henry County | 0 | 3 | $28K | |
| 2019-04-12 | Thunderstorm WindLacie, Henry County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $17K |
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 1, 1974 (tornado, Henry 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 Henry 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 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 35 | 39 | 20 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 2 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 6 | 19 z | 8 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 7 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Winter storms in the 2010s: 19 records against 6 in the decade before, 19 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 Henry 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 1965 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 13 · Feb 26 · Mar 24 · Apr 49 · May 57 · Jun 25 · Jul 39 · Aug 14 · Sep 3 · Oct 7 · Nov 5 · Dec 7 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Henry County
FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Henry County: 17 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (12) 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 |
| 2025-02-24 | 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 |
| 2024-05-22 | DR-4782 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 2015-08-12 | DR-4239 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide |
| 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 |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3231 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2004-06-10 | DR-1523 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 1997-03-04 | DR-1163 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1089 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1989-02-24 | DR-821 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1978-12-12 | DR-568 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1974-04-04 | DR-420 | Tornado | Tornadoes |
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 Henry County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 27 flood or flash flood records for Henry County from 1996 to 2020, on 22 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Henry County ranks 1874th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $575,000 on 32 claims filed in Henry County; the most in one year was 14 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1989: 2 · 1990: 2 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1997: 14 · 2004: 3 · 2010: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2025: 3; 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 Henry County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henry County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.2 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 Moderate | $865K | 6 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.3M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $154K | 51 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $39K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $369K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $187K | once in about 491 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $281 | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $3.2M | about once 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 Henry 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 Henry CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Henry County's FEMA declarations (CSV)23 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis