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Boone County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 380 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,334 nationally and #20 in Kentucky.
380
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
63
Direct injuries
$10.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Boone County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Boone County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 139 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 334 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $6.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Boone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 217 | 0 | $1.2M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $71K | 3 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $14K | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $6.4M | F5 | 1956–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2015 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
Decade by decade
Boone County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 3 | 210 | 20.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF4 | 1 | 10 | 26.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Boone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 13, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 26, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| Mar 10, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Jul 22, 2020 | Lightning | (CVG)GTR CIN ARPT | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Mar 19, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Jun 14, 1999 | Lightning | FLORENCE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornadic damage was first observed west of KY-237 at an industrial site, where a roof was partially removed. The tornado progressed northeast and uprooted multiple trees. The tornado then tracked across Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport where extensive wall and roof damage was observed to an industrial building. Around a dozen parked cars in a nearby garage were damaged from debris. Finally, additional damage was observed to several trees and HVAC systems on the northeast side of the airport before the tornado dissipated.
Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were snapped or uprooted. In addition, damage occurred to the roofs of several homes and businesses. Most roof damage consisted of roofing material fully or partially removed. A few barns and outbuildings were completely destroyed. The damage was consistent with wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph. The damage swath continued east into Kenton County.
Structural damage occurred to a rest area and semi trucks were blown over due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Three mobile homes were also moved off their foundations in the area. Another home received roof damage and a barn was blown off of its foundation due to the winds. Numerous trees were blown down around the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
139,841
Population (ACS)
$277K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 4, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Boone County, Kentucky?
380 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Boone County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 217 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Boone County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Boone County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Boone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Boone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Boone County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Boone County, Kentucky severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Bell County 374
- Bourbon County 213
- Bath County 322
- Boyd County 271
- Barren County 340
- Boyle County 177
Cite this page
“Boone County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/boone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.