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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-03 23:50, as SPC files it | Murray | F4 | 50.6 mi | 2 |
| 1978-05-12 19:25, as SPC files it | Cadiz | F3 | 9.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kentucky.
Every tornado record filed for Trigg County (26)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 33 | 60 | 20 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 26 | 40 | 19 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 3 | 14 | 38 | 24 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 5 | 10 | 33 z | 24 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 4 | 22 | 21 | 18 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 18 | 26 | 18 |
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).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4804 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, 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 |
| 2018-04-26 | DR-4361 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2016-08-26 | DR-4278 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-05-12 | DR-4218 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2009-05-29 | 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 |
| 2008-10-09 | DR-1802 | Severe Storm | Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3231 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2005-02-08 | DR-1578 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Record Snow |
| 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 |
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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $423K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $515K | 6.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $1.7M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $256K | 56 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.9M | once in about 152 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $59K | 6.4 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $271K | 8.8 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $4.4M | 1.4 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
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 Trigg CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Trigg County's FEMA declarations (CSV)26 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis