PlainHazard

Kentucky heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 75 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,073 heat records in Kentucky from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 77 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 10, 2007 heat in Laurel County: 2 deaths. Kentucky ranks 11th of 51 states and territories by count and 11th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Kentucky, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
2,0731996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
77average
Deaths
11284 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
2010283 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Kentucky?

Kentucky averages about 77 heat records a year since 2000, 11th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (283). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kentucky records 525 heat records since 1996, 11th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 11. Kentucky 525

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Kentucky have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Carlisle County leads Kentucky: 86 days with a heat record since 1996, 453.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Christian County has the most heat records (98 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Carlisle County 453.9 (86)
  2. Fulton County 427.3 (88)
  3. Hickman County 359.0 (87)
  4. Ballard County 348.0 (86)
  5. McCracken County 345.7 (86)
  6. Lyon County 341.5 (73)
  7. McLean County 293.0 (74)
  8. Marshall County 261.5 (79)
  9. Livingston County 255.6 (80)
  10. Union County 242.1 (83)
  11. Webster County 231.9 (77)
  12. Crittenden County 216.9 (78)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Kentucky?

79% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (964 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 20 · Feb 42 · Mar 8 · Apr 4 · May 1 · Jun 322 · Jul 964 · Aug 677 · Sep 5 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 30 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Kentucky?

Kentucky: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-06-10 HeatLaurel County · forecast zone Laurel Two young boys were found dead in the trunk of a car in London. It was determined that they died from hyperthermia or excessive heat exposure. 2 0 –
2011-05-21 Excessive HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson A two year old child was found unresponsive in a hot car. It is unclear how long the child had been in the car. The coroner ruled the child died from overheating. The peak temperature during the afternoon was 87. 1 1 –
2017-07-22 HeatBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd A 71 year old male was doing yard work. He began working around 9 am EST and collapsed due to heat around noon EST. The gentleman had previous heart conditions and suffered a heart attach, however heat was a contributing factor. 1 1 –
2012-07-06 HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson A man working in his yard in Louisville died of heat stroke during the afternoon of July 6th. The official temperature at the time of his death was 101 degrees. 1 0 –
2010-08-03 Excessive HeatGraves County · forecast zone Graves Excessively high heat indices were recorded in the late morning and afternoon hours of both the 3rd and 4th. On the 3rd, the heat index peaked at 115 degrees at the Paducah airport, 118 at the Owensboro airport, and 112 degrees at the Fort Campbell airfield near Hopkinsville. Heat indices only fell to between 85 and ... 1 0 –
1999-07-20 HeatBoone County · forecast zone Boone The latter part of July was excessively hot across northern Kentucky with nearly every day above 90 and a few days above 100. Dewpoints and overnight lows through the period were in the 70s. One heat related death occurred in northern Kentucky. 1 0 –
1999-07-18 HeatChristian County · forecast zone Christian Excessive heat and humidity during the latter half of July took a toll on the unprepared. In Hopkinsville, a 75-year-old man died in his home as a result of hyperthermia. The single window air conditioner in the house was inoperative, allowing the indoor temperature to reach 120 degrees. All of the windows were ... 1 0 –
1998-06-22 HeatDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees for at least 7 consecutive days. High humidity resulted in excessive heat indicies approaching 110 degrees. Heat was blamed for the death of a 47-year-old Daviess County man who was mowing the lawn during the late afternoon. Demand for electricity approached or equalled record demands ... 1 0 –
2008-07-20 HeatHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson Hot and humid conditions prevailed as a large upper-level ridge of high pressure covered the south central United States. On the 21st, the heat index peaked between 105 and 110 degrees for a few hours at Henderson and Owensboro. Heat indirectly contributed to the death of a 49-year-old man working in his garden. ... 1 0 –
2019-08-01 HeatWhitley County · forecast zone Whitley A two year old toddler passed away from hyperthermia in a vehicle as heat indices warmed into the low to mid 90s. 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Kentucky?

Kentucky's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Kentucky and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeKentuckyUnited StatesKentucky's share
1996-991504,3553.4%
2000s3109,1633.4%
2010s1,03916,4456.3%
2020-2657426,7962.1%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Kentucky

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-08-19 HeatHopkins County · forecast zone Hopkins 0 0 –
2025-08-19 Excessive HeatWebster County · forecast zone Webster 0 0 –
2025-08-18 HeatDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess 0 0 –
2025-08-18 HeatHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson 0 0 –
2025-08-18 Excessive HeatMcLean County · forecast zone McLean 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatMcLean County · forecast zone McLean 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatWebster County · forecast zone Webster 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatLyon County · forecast zone Lyon 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatLivingston County · forecast zone Livingston 0 0 –
2025-08-16 Excessive HeatMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall 0 0 –
2025-08-15 HeatCaldwell County · forecast zone Caldwell 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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