Owsley County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21189 · population 4,051 · 197 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 328 records for Owsley County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 233 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (107 records). The most damaging was the February 16, 2003 flood ($3.0 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 49 declarations naming the county since 1970, 47 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on September 1, 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
- 328on 233 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.9Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 2strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 49latest 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 Owsley County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 107 since 1985. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1985 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 | 107 | 74 | 1985-2025 | 0 | 0 | $307K | 49 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 83 | 62 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $68K | 22 of 118 |
| Floods | 52 | 39 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $4.2M | 35 of 118 |
| Hail | 41 | 32 | 1991-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 13 | 13 | 2007-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 9 | 7 | 2009-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 8 | 8 | 2000-2023 | 0 | 0 | $79K | 49 of 118 |
| Heat | 7 | 7 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 31 of 118 |
| Drought | 4 | 4 | 2016-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1977-2004 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 99 of 118 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2003-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 43 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 Owsley County had?
NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Owsley County from 1977 to 2004, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 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 3 tornadoes whose track touched Owsley County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 2: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Owsley County (2)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-31 | Blake, Owsley County | F0 0.1 mi x 366 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1977-10-01 | Owsley County | F2 12.8 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $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 Owsley County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 20, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowOwsley County · forecast zone Owsley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormOwsley County · forecast zone Owsley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindLerose, Owsley County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-02 | HailTaft, Owsley County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-02 | HailConkling, Owsley County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-29 | Thunderstorm WindVincent, Owsley County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-01-19 | Heavy SnowOwsley County · forecast zone Owsley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-05 | Heavy SnowOwsley County · forecast zone Owsley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-03-01 | Thunderstorm WindPebworth, Owsley County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-06-16 | HailBooneville, Owsley County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBooneville, Owsley County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15K |
| 2004-05-31 | TornadoBlake, Owsley County | F0 0.1 mi x 366 yd | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-02-16 | FloodOwsley County · forecast zone Owsley | 0 | 0 | $3.0M | |
| 1996-05-28 | Flash FloodBooneville, Owsley County | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2003-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindBooneville, Owsley County | 80 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $40K |
| 2003-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindBooneville, Owsley County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2006-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBooneville, Owsley County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15K |
| 2025-04-29 | Thunderstorm WindVincent, Owsley County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindLerose, Owsley County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
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: October 1, 1977 (tornado, Owsley 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 Owsley 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 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 46 | 38 | 10 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 7 | 25 | 37 | 14 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 6 | 27 | 10 | 9 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 11 | 5 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1985 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 40 · Feb 42 · Mar 18 · Apr 35 · May 54 · Jun 33 · Jul 25 · Aug 19 · Sep 14 · Oct 8 · Nov 16 · Dec 24 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Owsley County
FEMA's register lists 49 declarations that include Owsley County: 42 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (24) and flood (12).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4937 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2026-05-29 | DR-4913 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 2024-11-26 | DR-4848 | Tropical Storm | Remnants of Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4804 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-05-09 | DR-4711 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2022-07-29 | DR-4663 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2022-02-27 | DR-4643 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides |
| 2021-04-23 | DR-4595 | Flood | Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2021-03-31 | DR-4592 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-04-24 | DR-4540 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2018-04-12 | DR-4358 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-08-12 | DR-4239 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide |
| 2015-05-12 | DR-4218 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-05-01 | DR-4217 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2011-05-04 | DR-1976 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3231 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2004-06-10 | DR-1523 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2003-07-02 | DR-1475 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes |
| 2003-06-03 | DR-1471 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes |
| 2003-03-14 | DR-1454 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and |
| 2002-05-07 | DR-1414 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 2002-04-04 | DR-1407 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1998-04-29 | DR-1216 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes,and Flooding |
| 1998-03-03 | DR-1207 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1996-06-01 | DR-1117 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1089 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1995-06-13 | DR-1055 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Winds, Hail |
The 40 most recent of 49 are listed; the CSV has every one.
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 Owsley County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 52 flood or flash flood records for Owsley County from 1996 to 2022, on 39 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Owsley County ranks 2523rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $65,000 on 6 claims filed in Owsley County; the most in one year was 2 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2012: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 2; 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 Owsley County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Owsley County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.4 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $15K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $80K | once in about 174 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $16K | 15 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $114K | 5.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $32K | once in about 629 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $5K | once in about 44 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $1.7M | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | $151K | about once 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 Owsley 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 Owsley CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Owsley County's FEMA declarations (CSV)49 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis