Pike County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21195 · population 58,572 · 786 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 990 records for Pike County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 455 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (399 records). The deadliest day on its record was July 17, 2010: flash flood records filed for Pike County that day count 4 deaths across 3 records. FEMA has issued 47 declarations naming the county since 1967, 45 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
- 990on 455 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 99 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $41Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 2strongest EF1
- FEMA declarations
- 47latest 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 Pike County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 399 since 1968. 42% 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 | 399 | 176 | 1968-2025 | 1 | 4 | $1.9M | 107 of 118 |
| Floods | 186 | 96 | 1996-2025 | 7 | 2 | $38M | 76 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 181 | 98 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 3 | $175K | 75 of 118 |
| Hail | 138 | 84 | 1965-2025 | 0 | 0 | $473K | 70 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 35 | 24 | 2003-2024 | 0 | 0 | $390K | 72 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 15 | 15 | 2007-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 82 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 15 | 13 | 2009-2021 | 0 | 0 | $385K | 45 of 118 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 11 | 8 | 2003-2021 | 0 | 0 | $7K | 2 of 118 |
| Drought | 3 | 3 | 2016-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 59 of 118 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 72 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1998-2014 | 0 | 0 | $9K | 116 of 118 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | $7K | 82 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 62 of 118 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2016-2016 | 0 | 0 | – | 31 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 Pike County had?
NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Pike County from 1998 to 2014, the strongest rated EF1, 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 2 tornadoes whose track touched Pike County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 2, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Pike County (2)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-10-07 | Mc Combs, Pike County | EF1 0.1 mi x 130 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-05-20 | Kimper, Pike County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
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 Pike 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Heavy SnowPike County · forecast zone Pike | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowPike County · forecast zone Pike | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Heavy SnowPike County · forecast zone Pike | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-16 | Flash FloodBeaver Bottom, Pike County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindHardy, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindMillard, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-17 | Flash FloodPikeville, Pike County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindBroad Bottom, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindGarden Vlg, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindRaccoon, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindFedscreek, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindGarden Vlg, Pike County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-17 | Flash FloodMeta, Pike County People were trapped on the roof of their home in Meta on Highway 119 along Coons Creek. Flooding problems began around 8 pm. Two people died during this flooding event. Both deaths were health related and not directly caused by flood waters. | 2 | 0 | $11K | |
| 2001-08-03 | Flash FloodCountywide, Pike County Widespread flash flooding occurred across the area prompting the county to be a Presidentially declared disaster area. Up to 5 inches fell in less that 3 hours on already saturated ground. Massive road and bridge damage resulted. Over 200 homes were affected by flooding with 5 homes being totally destroyed. Two people ... | 2 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2014-01-02 | Winter WeatherPike County · forecast zone Pike A fatal car accident, the result of icy road conditions, occurred in the South Williamson area on US 119. There were a total of around 30 accidents around the county. Most of these were of the non-injury variety. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2010-08-05 | Thunderstorm WindPhyllis, Pike County A man was killed when a tree fell on his car as he was driving past the Grapevine Elementary School on Hwy 194. | 53 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $27K |
| 2010-07-17 | Flash FloodPikeville, Pike County A woman was swept away in flood waters near the intersection of Walters Road and KY Hwy 1460 east of Pikeville. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-07-17 | Flash FloodRaccoon, Pike County A man leaned over the railing of a highway bridge and fell over 240 feet to his death on the hillside below. The man was watching the flood waters of Racoon Creek from the bridge. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-05-02 | FloodPike County · forecast zone Pike Heavy rains fell across the Big Sandy and Kentucky River basins, primarily on Thursday, May 2. This resulted in excessive runoff and flooding in four eastern Kentucky counties. At 11 p.m EDT on May 2. in Pike County, a 24 year old man from Freeburn, KY was swept away in river flood water after his vehicle was stranded ... | 1 | 0 | $8.6M | |
| 2011-04-09 | Thunderstorm WindFishtrap, Pike County There was a trailer blown over with people inside. | 55 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-08-03 | Flash FloodCountywide, Pike County | 2 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2002-05-02 | FloodPike County · forecast zone Pike | 1 | 0 | $8.6M | |
| 2003-02-16 | FloodPike County · forecast zone Pike | 0 | 0 | $5.3M | |
| 2004-05-31 | FloodPike County · forecast zone Pike | 0 | 0 | $4.7M | |
| 2003-06-17 | Flash FloodDorton, Pike County | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 1996-05-05 | Flash FloodBelfry, Pike County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2000-08-08 | Flash FloodCountywide, Pike County | 0 | 0 | $857K | |
| 1997-08-04 | HailPikeville, Pike County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $460K |
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 Pike 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 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 31 | 117 | 164 | 75 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 7 | 77 | 62 | 40 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 43 | 111 | 17 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 52 | 47 | 15 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 12 | 14 | 9 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
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 1968 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 81 · Feb 83 · Mar 56 · Apr 120 · May 144 · Jun 162 · Jul 126 · Aug 86 · Sep 12 · Oct 25 · Nov 17 · Dec 78 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Pike County
FEMA's register lists 47 declarations that include Pike County: 37 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 4 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (20) and flood (15).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3633 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2016-11-20 | FM-5166 | Fire | Southeastern Kentucky Fire Complex |
| 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 |
| 2015-04-30 | DR-4216 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2014-09-30 | DR-4196 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2011-05-04 | DR-1976 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2010-07-23 | DR-1925 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2009-05-29 | DR-1841 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding and Mudslides |
| 2007-05-25 | DR-1703 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Rockslides |
| 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 |
| 2003-03-14 | 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 |
| 2001-11-02 | FM-2386 | Fire | Ky - Eastern Fire Complex - 11/02/2001 |
| 2001-08-15 | DR-1388 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-11-04 | FM-2350 | Fire | Ky - Eastern District Fire Complex - 11/03/00 |
| 1999-11-20 | FM-2288 | Fire | Ky, Wildfires #001 |
| 1998-04-29 | DR-1216 | 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 |
| 1995-06-13 | DR-1055 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Winds, Hail |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3104 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1989-10-30 | DR-846 | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding |
| 1989-06-30 | DR-834 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1989-02-24 | DR-821 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1984-05-15 | DR-705 | Severe Storm | High Winds, Tornadoes & Flooding |
The 40 most recent of 47 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 Pike County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 186 flood or flash flood records for Pike County from 1996 to 2025, on 96 days, with 7 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Pike County ranks 157th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $56.2 million on 2,480 claims filed in Pike County; the most in one year was 653 in 1984. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 99 · 1979: 101 · 1980: 17 · 1981: 113 · 1982: 15 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 653 · 1985: 3 · 1986: 2 · 1987: 15 · 1988: 1 · 1989: 118 · 1990: 2 · 1991: 12 · 1992: 3 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 9 · 1995: 6 · 1996: 82 · 1997: 36 · 1998: 14 · 1999: 2 · 2000: 9 · 2001: 11 · 2002: 86 · 2003: 74 · 2004: 24 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 32 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 223 · 2010: 103 · 2011: 7 · 2012: 17 · 2013: 9 · 2014: 5 · 2015: 44 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 8 · 2018: 13 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 44 · 2022: 136 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 305 · 2026: 7.
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 Pike County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pike County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $49.7 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 High | $980K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $45M | 3.3 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $1000K | once in about 87 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $174K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $738K | 2.9 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | $12K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $565K | 2.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $218K | 3.1 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 Pike 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 Pike CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Pike County's FEMA declarations (CSV)47 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis