McLean County, Kentucky

What hazards hit McLean County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 109 since 1996. 64% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. 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.

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 McLean County had?

NOAA records 8 tornadoes in McLean County from 1997 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 2 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 8 tornadoes whose track touched McLean County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 8, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.

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 McLean County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 27, 2026 tornado ($200,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

An NWS damage survey team found an EF-1 tornado, with peak winds of 95mph, occurred north of Livermore in McLean County. The tornado began near KY-138, causing significant loss of roof paneling to a barn. As it traveled a winding path generally eastward, extensive tree damage occurred along the path, including snapped tree trunks and uprooted trees. Two homes suffered significant damage when trees fell onto them. Other homes suffered shingle and fascia damage, and one had a detached garage collapse. A few power poles were damaged. The tornado lifted near the Ohio County line after damaging tree branches on Logsdon Ln.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1348374)

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

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 McLean 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).

Heat in the 2010s: 32 records against 10 in the decade before, 32 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 McLean 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?

64% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for McLean County

FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include McLean County: 18 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (14) and biological (2).

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 McLean County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 75 flood or flash flood records for McLean County from 1996 to 2025, on 70 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), McLean County ranks 1156th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.0 million on 134 claims filed in McLean County; the most in one year was 44 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 McLean County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates McLean County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $9.4 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.

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

Counties that share a border with McLean County

1. Daviess County 1,057
2. Henderson County 881
3. Muhlenberg County 845
4. Hopkins County 816
5. Webster County 667
6. McLean County 631
7. Ohio County 402

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
• Winter storms in KentuckyThe state's winter storm records, 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 McLean CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download McLean County's FEMA declarations (CSV)24 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis