Metcalfe County, Kentucky

What hazards hit Metcalfe County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 112 since 1968. 41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1968 fell in June and July. 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 Metcalfe County had?

NOAA records 19 tornadoes in Metcalfe County from 1957 to 2024, the strongest rated F2, with 3 deaths and 7 injuries recorded in the county. That is 16th 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 19 tornadoes whose track touched Metcalfe County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 19, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 3 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 Metcalfe County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 20, 2018 tornado ($147,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

This short-lived spin-up occurred as a northeast-moving storm interacted with outflow winds from a southeastward-moving storm in eastern Metcalfe County. The first damage occurred along Subtle Road, where a carport was overturned and a large part of a metal outbuilding's roof was torn off, in addition to snapping numerous trees. The tornado then moved east-northeast at tree-top level over wooded areas and farm fields, doing its next major damage a mile away where it pushed a double-wide mobile home to the northwest off its blocks, breaking windows, and ripping off shingles from the roof. The tornado continued on for another mile, causing occasional tree damage, and dropping debris before lifting near the east end of Groce Road, where it peeled roofing material from a metal out building. Maximum wind speeds with this tornado were estimated at 80 to 85 mph.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 764236)

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 Metcalfe 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1968 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Metcalfe County

FEMA's register lists 32 declarations that include Metcalfe County: 25 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (16) and flood (5).

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 Metcalfe County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 27 flood or flash flood records for Metcalfe County from 1997 to 2026, on 19 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Metcalfe County ranks 2477th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $17,000 on 7 claims filed in Metcalfe County; the most in one year was 2 in 1984. 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 Metcalfe County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Metcalfe County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.6 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Metcalfe County

1. Barren County 381
2. Hart County 342
3. Adair County 291
4. Green County 260
5. Metcalfe County 217
6. Monroe County 199
7. Cumberland County 180

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 Metcalfe CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Metcalfe County's FEMA declarations (CSV)32 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis