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Breathitt County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 566 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #672 nationally and #7 in Kentucky.
566
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Breathitt County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Breathitt County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 197 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 556 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Breathitt County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Breathitt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 311 | 0 | $642K | 65 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 91 | 0 | $4K | 2.75 | 1983–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 80 | 10 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 47 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Tornado | 4 | 2 | $301K | F1 | 1995–2004 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Breathitt County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-02-22 | EF1 | 2 | 7 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-03-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Breathitt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2022 | Flash Flood | LAMBRIC | 10 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 22, 2003 | Tornado | OAKDALE | 2 | 7 | $300K |
| Jan 23, 1999 | Flood | TAULBEE | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 30, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | PORTSMOUTH | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | NOCTOR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A large swath of downburst winds, nearly 450 yards wide, swept through the damaged area. Embedded in these winds was an F1 tornado, with winds between 100 and 112 mile per hour. At least five trailer homes were completely destroyed along with several other structures including tobacco barns and outbuildings. Twelve cars were also destroyed in a car lot. Numerous trees were down or uprooted. Two people died as a result of injuries from their mobile homes being tossed off of the ground.
Around one inch of rain fell between 4 and 11 am. This resulted in stream rises in the county. Streams rose high enough to cover low water bridges. A 54 year old male attempted to drive across a low water bridge near Taulbee. Water was about 2 feet deep and the car was swept off the bridge. The man drowned.
Flood water was up to the top of the lockers in Rousseau Elementary School. Water was also in homes near the school as well as a grocery store. The Breathitt County Office of Emergency Management reported that both the school and grocery store were total losses.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,276
Population (ACS)
$70K
Median home value
49
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Apr 24, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Feb 24, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Jackson 176
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Breathitt County, Kentucky?
566 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $3.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Breathitt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 311 recorded events — 54.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Breathitt County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Breathitt County?
49 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Breathitt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Breathitt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Breathitt County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Breathitt 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
- Bracken County 188
- Breckinridge County 349
- Boyle County 177
- Bullitt County 312
- Boyd County 271
- Butler County 294
Cite this page
“Breathitt County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/breathitt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.