Trigg County, Kentucky

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 21221 · population 14,047 · 441 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 718 records for Trigg County, Kentucky from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 617 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (151 records). 416 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the February 10, 2021 winter storm, filed for the forecast zone Trigg, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 26 declarations naming the county since 1989, 24 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
718on 617 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
24 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$69Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
26strongest F4
FEMA declarations
26latest 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 Trigg County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 151 since 1969. 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.

Trigg County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 151 124 1969-2026 0 0 $2.6M 88 of 118
Winter storms 93 93 1996-2026 2 4 $15M 42 of 118
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 79 78 1997-2026 0 0 – 20 of 118
Heat 72 72 1997-2025 0 0 – 18 of 118
Extreme cold 65 65 1996-2026 0 0 $5.7M 20 of 118
High wind and dust storms 64 64 1997-2025 0 0 $1.0M 19 of 118
Hail 60 47 1974-2023 0 0 $537K 71 of 118
Floods 48 44 1996-2025 0 0 $782K 91 of 118
Drought 41 41 1996-2026 0 0 $19M 17 of 118
Tornadoes 26 17 1968-2024 0 0 $25M 52 of 118
Heavy rain 13 12 2007-2015 0 0 – 26 of 118
Wildfires 4 4 2004-2012 0 0 – 3 of 118
Lightning 2 2 2015-2018 0 0 $36K 56 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 Trigg County had?

NOAA records 26 tornadoes in Trigg County from 1968 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 52nd 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 28 tornadoes whose track touched Trigg County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 26: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 0 of them in Trigg County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Trigg County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1968-04-03 23:50, as SPC files itMurrayF450.6 mi2
1978-05-12 19:25, as SPC files itCadizF39.5 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.

Every tornado record filed for Trigg County (26)
Every tornado recorded in Trigg County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-05-26 Maggie, Trigg County EF1 2.99 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $5K
2024-05-26 Maple Grove, Trigg County EF1 5.83 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $5K
2022-04-13 Energy, Trigg County EF1 1.95 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $10K
2020-01-11 Canton, Trigg County EF0 4.18 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $57K
2020-01-11 Fenton, Trigg County EF1 4.48 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $91K
2019-06-21 Rockcastle, Trigg County EF1 0.61 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $29K
2019-06-21 Cadiz, Trigg County EF1 4.35 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $173K
2018-12-31 Rockcastle, Trigg County EF1 0.76 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $65K
2017-03-27 Cadiz Broadbent Airport, Trigg County EF0 4.14 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $60K
2017-02-28 Donaldson, Trigg County EF1 8.58 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $361K
2017-02-07 Trigg Furnace, Trigg County EF0 1.84 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30K
2016-05-10 Buffalo, Trigg County EF0 1.57 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K
2013-07-06 Trigg Furnace, Trigg County EF0 0.89 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $6K
2011-04-15 Cadiz, Trigg County EF1 2.5 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $39K
2011-04-15 Cadiz, Trigg County EF0 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
2009-07-04 Golden Pond, Trigg County EF0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $4K
2008-02-05 Canton, Trigg County EF1 0.08 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $11K
2008-02-05 Maple Grove, Trigg County EF1 5.56 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $82K
2007-10-18 Linton, Trigg County EF0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2007-10-18 Linton, Trigg County EF2 9.28 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $171K
2007-10-18 Canton, Trigg County EF1 3 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $213K
1995-05-18 Cadiz To, Trigg County F2 4 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $484K
1995-05-18 Cadiz, Trigg County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $4K
1978-05-12 Trigg County F3 3 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1978-05-12 Trigg County F2 15.8 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1968-04-04 Trigg County F4 22.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –

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 Trigg County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Trigg County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-04-25 Dense FogTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-04-16 Thunderstorm WindTrigg Furnace, Trigg County 56 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-04-16 Thunderstorm WindRockcastle, Trigg County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-04-09 DroughtTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-02-27 Dense FogTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-02-15 Dense FogTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-02-03 Dense FogTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-01-30 Cold/Wind ChillTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Winter StormTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 –
2026-01-08 Dense FogTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Trigg County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-02-10 Winter StormTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg A wintry mix of precipitation impacted the region resulting in icy roads, numerous accidents, road closures, and scattered power outages. About 3,000 customers in the Owensboro area were without power. The event started in the early morning hours of February 10th and continued into February 11th. Icy roads on the ... 1 0 –
2009-01-26 Ice StormTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg This historic, prolonged ice storm was called the biggest disaster in modern Kentucky history by the governor of Kentucky. The storm produced at least one inch of ice across western Kentucky. Locally very destructive icing around 1.5 inches occurred from the Mississippi River counties east across Paducah and ... 1 0 $13M
2023-01-30 Winter WeatherTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg A winter storm consisting primarily of sleet impacted western Kentucky during the night of January 30th. The precipitation moved out during the early morning of the 31st. The precipitation fell quite heavily as soon as it started, and temperatures were well below freezing, so roads quickly became covered with sleet. ... 0 4 –
The costliest records in Trigg County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-09-01 DroughtTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 $6.3M
2004-12-22 Winter StormTrigg County · forecast zone Trigg 0 0 $1.9M
1995-05-18 TornadoCadiz To, Trigg County F2 4 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $484K
2011-05-25 Thunderstorm WindCadiz, Trigg County 87 kt wind 0 0 $394K
2017-02-28 TornadoDonaldson, Trigg County EF1 8.58 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $361K
2011-04-25 Thunderstorm WindCadiz, Trigg County 70 kt wind 0 0 $262K
2025-05-16 Thunderstorm WindMaple Grove, Trigg County 70 kt wind 0 0 $200K
1995-05-18 HailCadiz, Trigg County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $194K

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 12, 1978 (tornado, Trigg County); May 12, 1978 (tornado, Trigg 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 Trigg 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).

Trigg County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind014330336020
Winter storms––––8264019
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds––––3143824
Heat––––51033 z24
Extreme cold––––4222118
High wind and dust storms––––2182618

Heat in the 2010s: 33 records against 10 in the decade before, 33 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Trigg County days with a record above.

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 Trigg County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 76 · Feb 81 · Mar 54 · Apr 77 · May 75 · Jun 63 · Jul 76 · Aug 52 · Sep 24 · Oct 39 · Nov 42 · Dec 59 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Trigg County

FEMA's register lists 26 declarations that include Trigg County: 20 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (14) and flood (3).

Declarations including Trigg County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3633Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2025-05-23DR-4875Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes
2025-04-24DR-4864Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2025-04-03EM-3626Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2025-02-24DR-4860Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2025-02-16EM-3624Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides
2024-07-23DR-4804Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides
2023-04-10DR-4702Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2020-03-28DR-4497BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3469BiologicalCovid-19
2019-04-17DR-4428Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2018-04-26DR-4361FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2016-08-26DR-4278Severe StormSevere Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2015-05-12DR-4218FloodSevere Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2011-05-04DR-1976Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2010-05-11DR-1912Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes
2009-05-29DR-1841Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding and Mudslides
2009-02-05DR-1818Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm and Flooding
2009-01-28EM-3302Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-10-09DR-1802Severe StormSevere Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike
2005-09-10EM-3231HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2005-02-08DR-1578SnowstormSevere Winter Storm and Record Snow
1997-03-04DR-1163Severe StormSevere Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes
1996-01-13DR-1089SnowstormBlizzard of 96
1994-03-16DR-1018SnowstormSevere Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, Snw
1989-02-24DR-821FloodSevere 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 Trigg County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 48 flood or flash flood records for Trigg County from 1996 to 2025, on 44 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Trigg County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 1 claim filed in Trigg County; the most in one year was 1 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

2011: 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 Trigg County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Trigg County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.5 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Trigg County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormRelatively High$423K1.4 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$515K6.3 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$1.7Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$256K56 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Low$1.9Monce in about 152 years (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$59K6.4 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$271K8.8 modeled event-days a year
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$4.4M1.4 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 Trigg County

  1. Christian County 1,230
  2. Calloway County 892
  3. Marshall County 830
  4. Trigg County 718
  5. Caldwell County 617
  6. Lyon County 573
  7. Stewart County, TN 407

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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