Nelson County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21179 · population 46,724 · 419 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 411 records for Nelson County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 289 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (185 records). The deadliest single record is the December 21, 2013 flood: 3 deaths, 2 injuries and $19,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 24 declarations naming the county since 1970, 22 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
- 411on 289 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 932 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $7.9Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 24latest 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 Nelson County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 185 since 1968. 46% 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 185 | 144 | 1968-2026 | 0 | 0 | $721K | 60 of 118 |
| Floods | 93 | 76 | 1996-2026 | 5 | 2 | $4.1M | 40 of 118 |
| Hail | 72 | 37 | 1981-2026 | 0 | 1 | – | 90 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 36 | 36 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $160K | 96 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 10 | 1969-2025 | 1 | 28 | $2.9M | 77 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 5 | 2016-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 98 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 5 | 5 | 2009-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 99 of 118 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 2000-2016 | 2 | 1 | $74K | 32 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 95 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 Nelson County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Nelson County from 1969 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 28 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 12 tornadoes whose track touched Nelson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 3 people, 1 of them in Nelson County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 15:45, as SPC files it | Elizabethtown | F4 | 37.9 mi | 3 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Nelson County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-03 | Greenbrier, Nelson County | EF1 2.94 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-04-02 | Chaplin, Nelson County | EF1 4.97 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-08 | Fairfield, Nelson County | EF1 4 mi x 45 yd | 0 | 0 | $228K |
| 2008-02-06 | Woodlawn, Nelson County | EF2 0.76 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $343K |
| 2008-02-06 | Nelsonville, Nelson County | EF2 1.29 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 1997-03-28 | Bardstown, Nelson County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $92K |
| 1986-03-12 | Nelson County | F1 0.5 mi x 1,500 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1986-03-10 | Nelson County | F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-03 | Bardstown, Nelson County | F4 21 mi x 400 yd | 1 | 24 | $250K step |
| 1972-08-25 | Nelson County | F1 0.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1969-05-08 | Nelson County | F1 | 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 Nelson County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 5, 2025 flash flood (1 death and $10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
At 3:40 am, Nelson County Dispatch was notified of a water rescue on the 2800 block of Nelsonville Road. When responders reached the car, the 74 year old female driver was deceased inside.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1277540)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodGreenbrier, Nelson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodBoston, Nelson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindChaplin, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBardstown, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindEast Bardstown, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindBourbon Spgs, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Flash FloodBloomfield, Nelson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Thunderstorm WindEast Bardstown, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindBardstown Airport, Nelson County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindBellwood, Nelson County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-19 | HailDeatsville, Nelson County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormNelson County · forecast zone Nelson | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-12-21 | FloodGethsemane, Nelson County The Nelson County emergency manager confirmed that 3 out of 5 occupants of an SUV died after it ran into water covering a low water crossing on Dee Head Road, which is located around 2 miles southeast of New Haven. Two people were rescued, but 3 drowned within the SUV. Heavy rain throughout the day on the 21st caused ... | 3 | 2 | $19K | |
| 2000-08-24 | LightningNew Haven, Nelson County During the early morning hours of Thursday August 24, 2000, a complex of thunderstorms across South Central Indiana moved south into North Central Kentucky. The area of thunderstorms produced very heavy rain, locally strong winds and frequent lightning. A lightning strike apparently started a fire in a mobile home ... | 2 | 0 | $43K | |
| 1974-04-03 | TornadoBardstown, Nelson County Moved from northwest of Elizabethtown, doing damage on the north side of town. Moving into Nelson County, produced significant damage near Cox's Creek where the Whitney Horse Farm was damaged, crossing Lilly Pike where several homes, barns, and trailers were demolished, across Murray Road, and then across KY 44. On ... | F4 21 mi x 400 yd | 1 | 24 | $250K step |
| 2025-04-05 | Flash FloodNelsonville, Nelson County At 3:40 am, Nelson County Dispatch was notified of a water rescue on the 2800 block of Nelsonville Road. When responders reached the car, the 74 year old female driver was deceased inside. | 1 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2011-11-29 | FloodCulvertown, Nelson County A man died during the evening of November 29th, when he drove his vehicle around a barricade and attempted to cross a flooded low spot in the road where Bull Run Creek crosses Kentucky State Highway 46. He lost control of his vehicle and hit another vehicle already disabled in the flood water, then drowned when his ... | 1 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2009-01-27 | Winter StormNelson County · forecast zone Nelson Freezing rain, mixed with sleet, brought icy 1 to 2 inch accumulations countywide through mid-morning Tuesday, January 27th. Freezing rain developed later that afternoon and glazed surfaces with 1/4 inch of ice. Rain changed to snow after dawn Wednesday and added an additional 1 inch. In Bardstown, a woman died from a ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-02-06 | TornadoWoodlawn, Nelson County The tornado destroyed or heavily damaage two shop buildings at a construction company. A couple trailers on the company site were rolled over. Farther along the tornado's path, it knocked a mobile home off the foundation, and rolled it over two nearby cars. Two occupants of the mobile home were injured. | EF2 0.76 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $343K |
| 1986-03-12 | TornadoNelson County | F1 0.5 mi x 1,500 yd | 0 | 2 | $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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-03-01 | FloodNelson County · forecast zone Nelson | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2010-05-02 | FloodBoston, Nelson County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2008-02-06 | TornadoWoodlawn, Nelson County | EF2 0.76 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 2 | $343K |
| 2020-04-08 | TornadoFairfield, Nelson County | EF1 4 mi x 45 yd | 0 | 0 | $228K |
| 2015-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindBardstown, Nelson County | 83 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $125K |
| 1997-03-28 | TornadoBardstown, Nelson County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $92K |
| 2000-08-24 | LightningNew Haven, Nelson County | 2 | 0 | $43K | |
| 2005-08-05 | Thunderstorm WindBardstown, Nelson County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $38K |
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: April 3, 1974 (tornado, Nelson 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 Nelson 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 | 21 | 24 | 51 | 55 | 29 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 17 | 27 | 31 | 18 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 14 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 16 | 11 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1968 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 30 · Feb 36 · Mar 50 · Apr 64 · May 54 · Jun 56 · Jul 57 · Aug 22 · Sep 13 · Oct 7 · Nov 8 · Dec 14 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Nelson County
FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Nelson County: 18 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and severe ice storm (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 |
| 2025-02-16 | EM-3624 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2021-03-31 | DR-4592 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4497 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3469 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 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 |
| 2005-02-08 | DR-1578 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Record Snow |
| 2004-08-06 | DR-1537 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 1997-03-04 | DR-1163 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1089 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1994-03-16 | DR-1018 | Snowstorm | Severe Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, Snw |
| 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 |
| 1970-06-05 | DR-288 | 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 Nelson County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 93 flood or flash flood records for Nelson County from 1996 to 2026, on 76 days, with 5 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Nelson County ranks 1201st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.4 million on 122 claims filed in Nelson County; the most in one year was 31 in 2010. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 3 · 1979: 3 · 1984: 9 · 1988: 1 · 1989: 13 · 1992: 1 · 1997: 27 · 2010: 31 · 2013: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2025: 23 · 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 Nelson County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nelson County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $20.0 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 High | $2.1M | 7 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.0M | 52 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $178K | 9.6 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $2.7M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $153K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $875K | once in about 470 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.7M | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $11M | 2.5 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 Nelson 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 Nelson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Nelson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)24 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis