Kentucky severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 120 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 19,621 severe thunderstorm wind events in Kentucky from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 590 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 8, 2001 thunderstorm wind in Bracken County: 2 deaths, 3 injuries and $167,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Kentucky ranks 14th of 52 states and territories by count and 10th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Kentucky, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 19,6211955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 590average
- Deaths
- 27452 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $583Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2011940 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Kentucky?
Kentucky averages about 590 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 14th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2011 (940). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kentucky records 4969 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 10th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Jefferson County leads Kentucky: 337 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 884.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Jefferson County has the most thunderstorm wind records (679 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Kentucky?
41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (4,090 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 667 · Feb 640 · Mar 1,189 · Apr 2,250 · May 3,315 · Jun 3,985 · Jul 4,090 · Aug 1,710 · Sep 456 · Oct 520 · Nov 463 · Dec 336 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Kentucky?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindBrooksville, Bracken County Thunderstorm winds blew over a mobile home killing 2 and injuring 3 people. Another mobile home was damaged and trees were knocked down. | 60 kt wind | 2 | 3 | $167K |
| 1997-02-21 | Thunderstorm WindAges, Harlan County After strong winds and heavy rain a single large tree fell onto and crushed a car, killing two adults in the front seat. An infant in a child safety seat in the back seat of the car was not injured. The tree was on an embankment, and according to local residents had been leaning over the road for over 10 years. ... | 2 | 0 | $18K | |
| 2024-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindLyndon, Jefferson County One storm episode: 13 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong storm system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on May 26th and into the early morning hours of May 27th, 2024. Two waves of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across central Kentucky, producing numerous occurrences of straight-line wind damage and 8 tornadoes while crossing the region. The first ... | 70 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 1991-08-08 | Thunderstorm WindGallatin County | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1986-03-10 | Thunderstorm WindMcLean County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 46 | – | |
| 2006-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindNicholasville, Jessamine County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A tree was blown on to a passing vehicle on U.S. Highway 68 near Catnip Road, killing the driver. | 60 kt wind | 1 | 5 | $176K |
| 1996-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindMillersburg, Bourbon County 1 man was killed and a woman and child injured in a car when a tree fell on it. Spotter reported winds were around 60 mph. | 1 | 2 | $19K | |
| 2015-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindNatural Bridge, Powell County A dead tree fell onto a tent at a campsite at the Middlefork campground, killing one person inside the tent and critically injuring a second person. No other tree damage was noted by first responders except for the dead tree. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2000-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindLouisville, Jefferson County One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. An elderly woman was killed when a tree was blown on to a mobile home at the Pioneer Mobile Home Park. | 70 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $488K |
| 2016-06-15 | Thunderstorm WindSymsonia, Graves County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Thunderstorms rapidly developed over southern Illinois and southeast Missouri along a remnant outflow boundary from earlier storms. Aided by a weak mid-level disturbance with enhanced wind flow aloft, lines and clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms intensified as they progressed southeastward within an ... | 70 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $178K |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Kentucky
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-14 | Thunderstorm WindVine Grove, Hardin County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (9, in 6 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 64 | $121M | |
| 1995-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindWinchester, Clark County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (9, in 8 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 20 | $113M | |
| 1993-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindFayette County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $103M | |
| 1993-02-21 | Thunderstorm WindFayette County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 2 | $11M | |
| 1998-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindDunnville, Casey County | 0 | 0 | $9.1M | |
| 2017-03-01 | Thunderstorm WindDonerail, Fayette County One storm episode: 10 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 55 kt wind | 0 | 3 | $7.9M |
| 2004-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Daviess County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 104 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.9M |
| 2008-01-29 | Thunderstorm WindMt Herman, Monroe County One storm episode: 19 records in 13 places; the totals are the episode's. | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.6M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 60 | 3,482 | 1.7% |
| 1960s | 220 | 10,124 | 2.2% |
| 1970s | 516 | 18,714 | 2.8% |
| 1980s | 1,097 | 39,604 | 2.8% |
| 1990s | 2,126 | 85,554 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 5,202 | 129,990 | 4.0% |
| 2010s | 6,447 | 161,286 | 4.0% |
| 2020-26 | 3,953 | 126,815 | 3.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Kentucky
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindAxtel, Breckinridge County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindPayneville, Meade County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindProspect, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindRiverside Gardens, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindIndian Hills, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindChaplin, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBardstown, Nelson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindArgillite, Greenup County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindWolf Creek, Meade County | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindCynthiana, Harrison County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindCarlisle, Nicholas County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindConnersville, Harrison County | 52 kt wind | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Kentucky
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 41 declarations in Kentucky, 39 of them major disasters; the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4937 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 20 |
| 2025-05-23 | DR-4875 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 39 |
| 2025-04-24 | DR-4864 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 91 |
| 2025-04-03 | EM-3626 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 120 |
| 2025-02-24 | DR-4860 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 69 |
| 2025-02-16 | EM-3624 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | 120 |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4804 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides | 58 |
| 2024-05-22 | DR-4782 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides | 11 |
| 2023-04-10 | DR-4702 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 88 |
| 2022-02-27 | DR-4643 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | 13 |
| 2020-04-24 | DR-4540 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 27 |
| 2019-04-17 | DR-4428 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 61 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Jefferson County: the county's whole recordThe Kentucky county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in KentuckyTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Floods in Kentucky8,294 records
- Winter storms in Kentucky8,092 records
- Hail in Kentucky6,621 records