Marshall County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21157 · population 31,629 · 302 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 830 records for Marshall County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 684 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (170 records). 445 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 March 4, 1964 tornado: 3 deaths and 16 injuries. FEMA has issued 29 declarations naming the county since 1975, 27 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
- 830on 684 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 14131 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $109Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 25strongest EF4
- FEMA declarations
- 29latest 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 Marshall County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 170 since 1967. 42% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1967 fell in May and June. 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 | 170 | 129 | 1967-2026 | 0 | 9 | $6.5M | 29 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 101 | 101 | 1996-2026 | 4 | 9 | $27M | 17 of 118 |
| Hail | 93 | 71 | 1980-2026 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 6 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 87 | 86 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 118 |
| Heat | 79 | 79 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 5 | – | 8 of 118 |
| Floods | 72 | 63 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 1 | $6.3M | 32 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 71 | 71 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 1 | $16M | 8 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 64 | 63 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $34K | 10 of 118 |
| Drought | 42 | 42 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 7 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 25 | 22 | 1951-2023 | 8 | 106 | $21M | 5 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 22 | 22 | 2003-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 118 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2007-2007 | 0 | 0 | $17K | 37 of 118 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 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 Marshall County had?
NOAA records 25 tornadoes in Marshall County from 1951 to 2023, the strongest rated EF4, with 8 deaths and 106 injuries recorded in the county. That is 5th of 118 Kentucky counties and 157th of 3,080 U.S. 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 28 tornadoes whose track touched Marshall County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 25: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 64 people, 8 of them in Marshall County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-10 20:54, as SPC files it | Mayfield to HartfordCrossed KY, TN | EF4 | 168.53 mi | 57 |
| 1964-03-04 11:30, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F4 | 18.5 mi | 3 |
| 1968-04-03 23:50, as SPC files it | Murray | F4 | 50.6 mi | 2 |
| 2005-11-15 13:45, as SPC files it | Benton | F3 | 44 mi | 1 |
| 1951-11-13 17:50, as SPC files it | Calvert | F3 | 2 mi | 1 |
| 2016-05-10 13:44, as SPC files it | Benton | EF3 | 19.03 mi | 0 |
| 1970-04-24 00:55, as SPC files it | Gilbertsville | F3 | 25.4 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Marshall County (25)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-01 | Oak Level, Marshall County | EF0 15.98 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2022-04-13 | Tatumsville, Marshall County | EF0 0.69 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2022-04-13 | Briensburg, Marshall County | EF0 0.88 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2021-12-10 | Harvy, Marshall County | EF4 18.08 mi x 2,450 yd | 2 | 54 | – |
| 2020-01-11 | Benton, Marshall County | EF1 2.34 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $34K |
| 2019-06-23 | Tatumsville, Marshall County | EF1 0.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2019-06-21 | Gilbertsville Airport, Marshall County | EF1 0.76 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $577K |
| 2018-06-23 | Calvert City, Marshall County | EF0 0.52 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2016-12-26 | Elva, Marshall County | EF0 1.44 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2016-05-10 | Harvy, Marshall County | EF1 3.68 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $61K |
| 2014-10-02 | Walnut Grove, Marshall County | EF1 0.38 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $93K |
| 2013-10-31 | Calvert City, Marshall County | EF0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $44K |
| 2013-04-18 | Oak Level, Marshall County | EF0 1.39 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2005-11-15 | Brewers, Marshall County | F3 19.5 mi x 500 yd | 1 | 20 | $12M |
| 2003-06-11 | Briensburg, Marshall County | F1 0.2 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $56K |
| 2003-05-06 | Briensburg, Marshall County | F1 0.5 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-06 | Briensburg, Marshall County | F0 0.5 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-06 | Benton, Marshall County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-04-25 | Sharpe, Marshall County | F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2002-07-10 | Gilbertsville, Marshall County | F0 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $41K |
| 1973-04-19 | Marshall County | F1 0.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1970-04-24 | Marshall County | F3 1.9 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1968-04-04 | Marshall County | F4 5.1 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 5 | – |
| 1964-03-04 | Marshall County | F4 13.6 mi x 250 yd | 3 | 16 | $250K step |
| 1951-11-13 | Marshall County | F3 2 mi x 33 yd | 1 | 11 | $250K 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 Marshall County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindFairdealing, Marshall County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindGilbertsville, Marshall County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindPalma, Marshall County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindTatumsville, Marshall County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-04-16 | HailPalma, Marshall County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | HailOak Level, Marshall County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | HailBenton, Marshall County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | HailSharpe, Marshall County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $45K |
| 2026-04-09 | DroughtMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-27 | Dense FogMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Dense FogMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-26 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-03-04 | TornadoMarshall County | F4 13.6 mi x 250 yd | 3 | 16 | $250K step |
| 2021-12-10 | TornadoHarvy, Marshall 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 18.08 mi x 2,450 yd | 2 | 54 | – |
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoBrewers, Marshall County The long-track tornado entered Marshall County from extreme northwest Calloway County. As the tornado moved quickly northeast across Marshall County, it reached its peak intensity of 200 MPH as it approached the Kentucky Lake resort campgrounds and boatyards. Until the tornado reached U.S. Highway 641 south of Benton, ... | F3 19.5 mi x 500 yd | 1 | 20 | $12M |
| 1951-11-13 | TornadoMarshall County | F3 2 mi x 33 yd | 1 | 11 | $250K step |
| 2022-02-23 | Winter WeatherMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall Widespread sleet and freezing rain occurred during the evening of the 23rd, followed by some patchy freezing drizzle or light rain overnight. A heavier round of precipitation on the 24th had little if any impact due to temperatures inching just above freezing. Sleet accumulations were under one-half inch, and ice ... | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 1968-04-04 | TornadoMarshall County | F4 5.1 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 5 | – |
| 2015-02-20 | Winter StormMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall A winter storm brought hazardous conditions to western Kentucky. South of the Henderson/Owensboro area, the precipitation type was primarily heavy sleet and snow at the beginning of the storm, then freezing rain became the primary precipitation type. One-half to one inch of sleet and snow accumulated rather quickly, ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-02-20 | Cold/Wind ChillMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall A 62 year old man died of hypothermia while staying in a camper with little or no heat. The fatality occurred to the east of Briensburg near Kentucky Lake. The death was pronounced on the 22nd, but likely occurred on the 20th or 21st. | 1 | 0 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-04 | HailCalvert City, Marshall County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $16M |
| 2008-09-14 | High WindMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15M |
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoBrewers, Marshall County | F3 19.5 mi x 500 yd | 1 | 20 | $12M |
| 2007-09-01 | DroughtMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | |
| 2016-07-07 | Flash FloodSharpe, Marshall County | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| 2002-07-10 | Thunderstorm WindGilbertsville, Marshall County | 87 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $1.6M |
| 2025-02-16 | FloodBenton, Marshall County | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2019-06-23 | TornadoTatumsville, Marshall County | EF1 0.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: March 4, 1964 (tornado, Marshall County, 3 killed); November 13, 1951 (tornado, Marshall County, 1 killed); April 24, 1970 (tornado, Marshall 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 Marshall 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 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 39 | 53 | 25 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 9 | 29 | 42 | 21 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 34 | 13 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 5 | 20 | 37 | 25 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 5 | 11 | 37 z | 26 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 10 | 17 | 24 | 21 |
Heat in the 2010s: 37 records against 11 in the decade before, 37 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 Marshall 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?
42% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1967 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 92 · Feb 81 · Mar 67 · Apr 107 · May 78 · Jun 83 · Jul 89 · Aug 50 · Sep 25 · Oct 40 · Nov 46 · Dec 72 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Marshall County
FEMA's register lists 29 declarations that include Marshall County: 22 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (15) and flood (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3633 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2025-05-23 | DR-4875 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 2019-04-17 | DR-4428 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2016-08-26 | DR-4278 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-05-12 | DR-4218 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-04-30 | DR-4216 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, 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 |
| 2009-05-29 | DR-1841 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2005-12-01 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 1975-03-29 | DR-461 | 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 Marshall County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 72 flood or flash flood records for Marshall County from 1996 to 2025, on 63 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Marshall County ranks 1501st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.2 million on 68 claims filed in Marshall County; the most in one year was 17 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 3 · 1982: 1 · 1984: 1 · 1996: 2 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 2 · 2001: 5 · 2006: 5 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 4 · 2011: 17 · 2013: 4 · 2016: 12 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 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 Marshall County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marshall County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $22.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $1.2M | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $7.9M | once in about 112 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.3M | 3.8 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $164K | 6.7 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $404K | 7.1 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $582K | 2.9 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $932K | 9.8 modeled event-days a year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $5K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Marshall 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 Marshall CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Marshall County's FEMA declarations (CSV)29 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis