Kentucky lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 82 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 239 lightning records in Kentucky from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.1 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 21, 2013 lightning in Madison County: 2 deaths and 3 injuries. Kentucky ranks 30th of 52 states and territories by count and 27th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Kentucky, 1996 to 2026
Lightning 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
- 2391996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 8.1average
- Deaths
- 2161 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $12Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200917 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 lightning records common in Kentucky?
Kentucky averages about 8.1 lightning records a year since 2000, 30th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2009 (17). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kentucky records 61 lightning records since 1996, 27th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
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 lightning records?
Per square mile, McCracken County leads Kentucky: 14 days with a lightning record since 1996, 56.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Jefferson County has the most lightning records (24 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).
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 lightning season in Kentucky?
43% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (57 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 5 · Feb 2 · Mar 9 · Apr 19 · May 45 · Jun 45 · Jul 57 · Aug 37 · Sep 11 · Oct 4 · Nov 3 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Kentucky?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-08-21 | LightningCottonburg, Madison County Lightning struck a tobacco barn near Buckeye, killing two men and injuring 3 others. The men were hanging tobacco at the time. | 2 | 3 | – | |
| 2012-07-19 | LightningAudubon Park, Jefferson County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. During the early morning hours on July 19th, a convective system moved southeast across southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky. This left behind an outflow boundary that extended from near Madison, Indiana southeast through the Kentucky Bluegrass. A couple of strong storms developed by mid afternoon along this boundary ... | 2 | 1 | $501K | |
| 2000-08-24 | LightningNew Haven, Nelson County During the early morning hours of Thursday August 24, 2000, a complex of thunderstorms across South Central Indiana moved south into North Central Kentucky. The area of thunderstorms produced very heavy rain, locally strong winds and frequent lightning. A lightning strike apparently started a fire in a mobile home ... | 2 | 0 | $43K | |
| 2010-07-27 | LightningGodman Aaf Ft K, Hardin County Two soldiers at Fort Knox were struck by lightning while doing training outside. They were airlifted to the hospital where an 18 year old female eventually died from the injuries she sustained. The time is approximate. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2012-07-26 | LightningVineyard, Jessamine County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Scattered strong storms developed during the afternoon of July 26th. These storms, developing in an environment of strong instability and dry air aloft, produced scattered wind damage which was most concentrated in the Bluegrass Region. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2010-08-05 | LightningDanby, Logan County A 16 year old Amish girl was struck in the head and killed by lightning while working in a field. She was pronounced dead at the scene. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 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 | – | |
| 2007-05-02 | LightningNicholasville, Jessamine County A 55 year old man was struck by lightning and killed instantly as he was mowing his lawn. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-06-10 | LightningShelbyville, Shelby County A 44-year old main died Monday, June 15th after being struck by lightning at his workplace on Wednesday, June 10th. The man was standing outside waiting to be picked up from work when his coworkers heard a very loud boom and looked out to find him laying on the ground beneath the tree. Coworkers and emergency workers ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-09-05 | LightningBerea, Madison County Lightning struck and killed an 18-year old female college student while she was playing soccer at Berea College. | 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.
The costliest lightning records in Kentucky
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-18 | LightningLoradale, Fayette County | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | |
| 2005-06-28 | LightningKelat, Harrison County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2012-07-19 | LightningAudubon Park, Jefferson County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 1 | $501K | |
| 1998-06-22 | LightningWestport, Oldham County | 0 | 0 | $362K | |
| 2011-06-18 | LightningMt Vernon, Rockcastle County | 0 | 0 | $328K | |
| 2018-08-07 | LightningSt Joseph, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $294K | |
| 2009-08-04 | LightningAudubon Park, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $275K | |
| 1996-05-15 | LightningCovington, Kenton County | 0 | 1 | $94K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning 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.
| Decade | Kentucky | United States | Kentucky's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 28 | 3,521 | 0.8% |
| 2000s | 85 | 8,052 | 1.1% |
| 2010s | 98 | 5,103 | 1.9% |
| 2020-26 | 28 | 1,544 | 1.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Kentucky
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-21 | LightningTunnel Hill, Hardin County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-05-08 | LightningOttawa, Rockcastle County | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2025-04-05 | LightningLiberty, Casey County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-09-28 | LightningElkton, Todd County | 0 | 1 | $24K | |
| 2023-08-25 | LightningPebble, Bath County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-08-25 | LightningJonestown, Fayette County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2022-07-02 | LightningMadisonville, Hopkins County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-06-17 | LightningDotson, Floyd County | 0 | 1 | $61K | |
| 2020-07-22 | LightningGtr Cin Airport, Boone County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2019-06-23 | LightningMurray, Calloway County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-10-04 | LightningLexington, Fayette County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-08-07 | LightningSt Joseph, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $294K |
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.
Next
- McCracken County: the county's whole recordThe Kentucky county with the most lightning records per square mile
- Lightning across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
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