Rowan County, Kentucky
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21205 · population 24,652 · 280 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 429 records for Rowan County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 273 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (165 records). The deadliest single record is the December 25, 2016 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Rowan, which covers the county: 1 death and 2 injuries. FEMA has issued 32 declarations naming the county since 1978, 30 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
- 429on 273 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 416 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $6.0Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 2strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 32latest 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 Rowan County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 165 since 1967. 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 | 165 | 96 | 1967-2025 | 0 | 13 | $2.6M | 61 of 118 |
| Winter storms | 93 | 69 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $191K | 36 of 118 |
| Floods | 68 | 49 | 1996-2022 | 2 | 0 | $2.4M | 41 of 118 |
| Hail | 43 | 30 | 1973-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 69 of 118 |
| High wind and dust storms | 19 | 18 | 2001-2024 | 0 | 0 | $102K | 29 of 118 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 2007-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 of 118 |
| Heat | 8 | 8 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 38 of 118 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 8 | 6 | 2007-2020 | 1 | 2 | $115K | 23 of 118 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 4 | 2009-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 50 of 118 |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 2016-2016 | 0 | 0 | – | 51 of 118 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2000-2006 | 1 | 1 | $3K | 33 of 118 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1990-1995 | 0 | 0 | $565K | 106 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 Rowan County had?
NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Rowan County from 1990 to 1995, 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 2 tornadoes whose track touched Rowan 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 Rowan County (2)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | Lakeview Heights, Rowan County | F2 2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-05-28 | Rowan County | F1 0.5 mi x 23 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 Rowan County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 16, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormRowan County · forecast zone Rowan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindElliottville, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-16 | HailMorehead, Rowan County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindGates, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-16 | HailRodburn, Rowan County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-16 | HailBluestone, Rowan County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-29 | Thunderstorm WindMorehead, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2025-04-29 | Thunderstorm WindBrady, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2025-04-29 | Thunderstorm WindMorehead, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2025-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindHamm, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-03-30 | Thunderstorm WindBrady, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2025-03-30 | Thunderstorm WindBrady, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-25 | Dense FogRowan County · forecast zone Rowan Social media and several media outlets reported a two vehicle accident on Kentucky Highway 377 near Cranston, north of Morehead. Visibilities were reduced to below one mile, with localized areas of below one quarter of a mile. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2000-08-08 | LightningFarmers, Rowan County A family of three including the mother, father, and infant daughter lived in a mobile home and had gone to their relatives' home to seek shelter in the basement. The family was struck by lightning outside between the car and home when the father died. The 2 month old infant received a minor head contusion and ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-05-14 | Flash FloodSharkey, Rowan County According to an article from LEX18 news in Lexington: Kentucky State Police say they were first called out in reference to a drowning on Bullfork Road in Rowan County. They say an 80-year-old man tried to cross a swollen tributary in a utility vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and tried to get to the other side of ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-09-09 | FloodMorehead, Rowan County Several vehicles were submerged in water in Morehead, including police cruisers. Several roads were closed due to water covering them from overflowing creeks and streams. Additionally, a nine year old boy was swept into a culvert by flood waters near Morehead. His body was found a week later in the Triplett Creek area. | 1 | 0 | $235K | |
| 1995-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindClearfield, Rowan County Considerable damage East through town. Buildings and homes were damaged. Twelve people received minor injuries across the county. | 0 | 12 | $968K | |
| 1991-04-09 | Thunderstorm WindRowan County | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindFarmers, Rowan County | 0 | 0 | $968K | |
| 1997-03-01 | Flash FloodMorehead, Rowan County | 0 | 0 | $643K | |
| 2000-02-18 | Flash FloodCountywide, Rowan County | 0 | 0 | $600K | |
| 2018-09-09 | FloodMorehead, Rowan County | 1 | 0 | $235K | |
| 2024-04-02 | Thunderstorm WindRamey, Rowan County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $42K |
| 2024-04-02 | Thunderstorm WindSharkey, Rowan County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2024-04-02 | Thunderstorm WindSharkey, Rowan County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2025-03-30 | Thunderstorm WindBrady, Rowan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
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: May 28, 1990 (tornado, Rowan 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 Rowan 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 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 34 | 63 | 53 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 27 | 46 | 17 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 9 | 19 | 34 | 6 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 5 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Rowan County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 42 · Feb 48 · Mar 34 · Apr 59 · May 62 · Jun 40 · Jul 55 · Aug 34 · Sep 11 · Oct 6 · Nov 11 · Dec 27 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Rowan County
FEMA's register lists 32 declarations that include Rowan County: 25 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (16) and flood (4).
| 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 |
| 2025-02-16 | EM-3624 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2024-11-26 | DR-4848 | Tropical Storm | Remnants of Hurricane Helene |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2012-03-06 | DR-4057 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2011-05-04 | DR-1976 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2010-07-23 | DR-1925 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2002-04-04 | DR-1407 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2001-08-15 | DR-1388 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-02-28 | DR-1320 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1998-03-03 | DR-1207 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 1994-03-16 | DR-1018 | Snowstorm | Severe Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, Snw |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3104 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1989-02-24 | DR-821 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1978-12-12 | DR-568 | 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 Rowan County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 68 flood or flash flood records for Rowan County from 1996 to 2022, on 49 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Rowan County ranks 755th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $5.2 million on 293 claims filed in Rowan County; the most in one year was 106 in 2010. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 2 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 1 · 1997: 4 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 41 · 2003: 4 · 2004: 30 · 2006: 1 · 2010: 106 · 2011: 6 · 2015: 57 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 14 · 2018: 14 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 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 Rowan County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rowan County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $545K | 50 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $82K | 15 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $530K | 3.9 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $19K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $9.9M | 1.7 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $334K | 2.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $767K | once in about 12 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $149K | 3.2 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 Rowan 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 Rowan CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Rowan County's FEMA declarations (CSV)32 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis