Hopkins County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21107 · population 45,395 · 542 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 816 records for Hopkins County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 681 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (142 records). 453 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 December 10, 2021 tornado: 15 deaths and 200 injuries. FEMA has issued 30 declarations naming the county since 1969, 28 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
- 816on 681 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 19297 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $156Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 21strongest EF4
- FEMA declarations
- 30latest 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 Hopkins County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 142 since 1958. 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 | 142 | 117 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 3 | $1.9M | 111 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 114 | 110 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 109 | 109 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 1 | $37M | 48 of 118 |
| Hail | 86 | 65 | 1959-2025 | 0 | 0 | $155K | 59 of 118 |
| Heat | 73 | 73 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 12 | – | 22 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 71 | 71 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 17 | $18M | 21 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 70 | 69 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $34K | 21 of 118 |
| Floods | 69 | 64 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $3.6M | 82 of 118 |
| Drought | 36 | 36 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 22 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 21 | 20 | 1956-2026 | 16 | 263 | $79M | 53 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 19 | 19 | 2004-2015 | 0 | 0 | $14K | 15 of 118 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 2009-2022 | 1 | 1 | $16K | 31 of 118 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2004-2006 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 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 Hopkins County had?
NOAA records 21 tornadoes in Hopkins County from 1956 to 2026, the strongest rated EF4, with 16 deaths and 263 injuries recorded in the county. That is 53rd 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 20 tornadoes whose track touched Hopkins County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 21: 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, 16 of them in Hopkins County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-26 19:01, as SPC files it | Eddyville to Dawson Springs | EF3 | 34.14 mi | 1 |
| 2005-11-15 15:27, as SPC files it | Madisonville | F4 | 15 mi | 0 |
| 2013-11-17 15:32, as SPC files it | White Plains | EF3 | 8.23 mi | 0 |
| 2009-04-10 10:54, as SPC files it | Nortonville | EF3 | 2.02 mi | 0 |
| 2002-04-28 01:49, as SPC files it | Providence to Hanson | F3 | 22 mi | 0 |
| 1961-05-07 09:25, as SPC files it | Madisonville | F3 | 58 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Hopkins County (21)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | Ashbyburg, Hopkins County | EF0 2.92 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2024-05-26 | Olney, Hopkins County | EF3 15.39 mi x 700 yd | 1 | 17 | $2.5M |
| 2022-04-13 | St Charles, Hopkins County | EF0 0.88 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2021-12-10 | Dawson Spgs, Hopkins County | EF4 20.56 mi x 2,000 yd | 15 | 200 | – |
| 2016-04-27 | Earlington, Hopkins County | EF0 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-11-17 | Romney, Hopkins County | EF3 8.23 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $887K |
| 2012-02-29 | Madisonville, Hopkins County | EF0 0.49 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2011-09-25 | White Plains, Hopkins County | EF2 0.52 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $105K |
| 2011-04-26 | Mortons Gap, Hopkins County | EF0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2010-05-02 | Mt Carmel, Hopkins County | EF0 0.53 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $95K |
| 2009-04-10 | Romney, Hopkins County | EF1 1.24 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2007-10-18 | St Charles, Hopkins County | EF2 1.86 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 1 | $213K |
| 2007-10-18 | Nortonville, Hopkins County | EF1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $114K |
| 2005-11-15 | Earlington, Hopkins County | F4 15 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 40 | $47M |
| 2004-06-01 | Hanson, Hopkins County | F0 0.9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-05-30 | Barnsley, Hopkins County | F2 6.5 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | $469K |
| 2002-04-28 | Nebo, Hopkins County | F3 12 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $3.0M |
| 1989-04-03 | Hopkins County | F2 6 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1971-04-27 | Hopkins County | F1 36.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-05-07 | Hopkins County | F3 11.2 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 3 | $2.5M step |
| 1956-04-29 | Hopkins County | F1 13.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $3K 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 Hopkins County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 27, 2026 tornado ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
An EF-0 tornado, with estimated peak winds of 85mph, began along Ashbyburg Rd and tracked eastward. Trees were snapped and uprooted, and numerous large limbs were downed. Two electrical transmission line cross members were broken. The tornado crossed into McLean County near Jewel City. A swath of straight line winds accompanied the tornadic circulation across far eastern Webster County, far northern Hopkins County, and into southwestern McLean County.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1348332)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | TornadoAshbyburg, Hopkins County | EF0 2.92 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindAshbyburg, Hopkins County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindAshbyburg, Hopkins County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindMortons Gap, Hopkins County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-04-25 | Dense FogHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-09 | DroughtHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-27 | Dense FogHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Dense FogHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Dense FogHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Cold/Wind ChillHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-26 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-10 | TornadoDawson Spgs, Hopkins County This historic EF-4 tornado was associated with a very long-track supercell that originally formed over eastern Arkansas. The supercell produced a nearly continuous tornado damage path from northeast Arkansas across western Tennessee and western Kentucky. The starting point of this particular tornado was in northwest ... | EF4 20.56 mi x 2,000 yd | 15 | 200 | – |
| 2024-05-26 | TornadoOlney, Hopkins County An EF-3 tornado, which began northeast of Eddyville in Lyon County, crossed through the entirety of Caldwell County, then entered Hopkins County east of White School Rd. The tornado intensified and widened to its peak width of 700 yds destroying several mobile homes and wood and brick frame structures as it approached ... | EF3 15.39 mi x 700 yd | 1 | 17 | $2.5M |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins 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 | 1 | $35M | |
| 2022-07-02 | LightningMadisonville, Hopkins County A 38-year-old man who was flying a remote-controlled plane was struck by lightning. He was airlifted to an out-of-state hospital, where he died several days later. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-23 | Winter WeatherHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins Widespread freezing rain coated surfaces with up to one-tenth inch of ice. Due to very cold antecedent conditions, pavement temperatures were low enough that the initial drops of precipitation immediately created hazardous conditions. A southerly flow of warmer air around high pressure over the Carolina coast ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoEarlington, Hopkins County This violent tornado reached its peak intensity on the north side of Earlington, near the beginning of its track. Peak winds there were estimated near 220 MPH. Several houses in this area, on either side of U.S. Highway 41, were levelled. Large oak trees were reduced to nubs, and the ground was scoured to bare dirt. A ... | F4 15 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 40 | $47M |
| 2008-09-14 | High WindHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 80 mph caused widespread damage in western Kentucky. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid ... | 58 kt wind | 0 | 17 | $18M |
| 2005-07-21 | HeatHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins 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 | 12 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoEarlington, Hopkins County | F4 15 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 40 | $47M |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 1 | 1 | $35M | |
| 2008-09-14 | High WindHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins | 58 kt wind | 0 | 17 | $18M |
| 2002-04-28 | TornadoNebo, Hopkins County | F3 12 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $3.0M |
| 2024-05-26 | TornadoOlney, Hopkins County | EF3 15.39 mi x 700 yd | 1 | 17 | $2.5M |
| 2013-11-17 | TornadoRomney, Hopkins County | EF3 8.23 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $887K |
| 2013-06-24 | Flash FloodCarbondale, Hopkins County | 0 | 0 | $633K | |
| 2004-05-30 | TornadoBarnsley, Hopkins County | F2 6.5 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | $469K |
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 7, 1961 (tornado, Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 38 | 42 | 16 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 3 | 20 | 62 | 29 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 7 | 32 | 49 | 21 |
| Hail | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 36 | 24 | 14 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 5 | 10 | 33 z | 25 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 16 | 29 | 24 |
Heat in the 2010s: 33 records against 10 in the decade before, 33 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 Hopkins 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?
Records by month in Hopkins County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 83 · Feb 90 · Mar 69 · Apr 98 · May 83 · Jun 64 · Jul 83 · Aug 56 · Sep 28 · Oct 42 · Nov 48 · Dec 72 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Hopkins County
FEMA's register lists 30 declarations that include Hopkins County: 23 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (17) and tornado (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 |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4804 | 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 |
| 2021-12-12 | DR-4630 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2021-12-11 | EM-3575 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4497 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3469 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2016-08-26 | DR-4278 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, 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 |
| 2008-05-19 | DR-1757 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides |
| 2008-02-21 | DR-1746 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and |
| 2005-12-01 | DR-1617 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3231 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2005-02-08 | DR-1578 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Record Snow |
| 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 |
| 1989-02-24 | DR-821 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1969-07-15 | DR-265 | Flood | Severe 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 Hopkins County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 69 flood or flash flood records for Hopkins County from 1997 to 2025, on 64 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Hopkins County ranks 1463rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.2 million on 73 claims filed in Hopkins County; the most in one year was 9 in 2025. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 5 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1989: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1995: 2 · 1997: 1 · 2000: 3 · 2001: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2008: 6 · 2009: 4 · 2010: 5 · 2011: 1 · 2013: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 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 Hopkins County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hopkins County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $25.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | $1.7M | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $2.0M | 4.6 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $5.7M | once in about 171 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $790K | 3 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $173K | 7.5 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $550K | 54 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $431K | 6 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Hopkins 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 Hopkins CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Hopkins County's FEMA declarations (CSV)30 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis