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Fayette County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 482 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #940 nationally and #11 in Kentucky.
482
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$100.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Fayette County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fayette County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 6.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 151 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 82 events fall before 1990 and 400 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fayette County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $63.2M 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 Fayette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 321 | 1 | $63.2M | 83 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 75 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 49 | 2 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 14 | 1 | $2.6M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $168K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $33.1M | F3 | 1956–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Fayette County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-10-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fayette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2006 | Flash Flood | LEXINGTON | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2006 | Lightning | LEXINGTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEXINGTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $25.0M | |
| May 28, 2004 | Tornado | BLUE GRASS LEX ARPT | 0 | 6 | $7.5M |
| Jul 20, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRACKTOWN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Lightning | JONESTOWN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2007 | Lightning | LEXINGTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two women were knocked down and swept away by rapidly flowing water, after trying to cross a flooded intersection. Sixty intersections in town were covered by high water, some with water depths up to three or four feet. Interstate 75 at mile marker 115 was flooded. Interstate 64 at mile marker 81 also had high water.
Thunderstorm winds did extensive damage at Hughes Aircraft…estimated by builder to be around 5 million dollars. Condo and tree damaged was reported around Griffin Gate in Lexington. Around six miles of straight line wind damaged occurred over northern Fayette county where part of a roof was blown off a school.
The tornado first touched down just east of Masterson Station Park on the subdivision road of Buck Lane. It continued east through the subdivision, causing F2 damage. The tornado then crossed an open field and creek, entering another subdivision. It appeared that the tornado reached its maximum F3 intensity in this section of the path. The tornado was on the ground intermittently as it moved to the east northeast. It struck a single house on State Road 1978, doing F2 damage. It crossed Georgetown Road and struck another subdivision near Citation Boulevard, doing F1 to F2 damage. It continued for a short distance into a field, and then lifted. There was straight line wind damage to the south of the tornado path, and additional straight line wind damage to the east after the tornado lifted. The tornado damaged 15 homes to some degree, and at least 50 home received moderate to severe damage. The hardest hit area was the Masterson Station subdivision.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
323,725
Population (ACS)
$294K
Median home value
21
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 |
| May 22, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Flood | SEVERE, STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lexington 221
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fayette County, Kentucky?
482 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $100.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fayette County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 321 recorded events — 66.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fayette County?
9 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 Fayette County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fayette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fayette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fayette County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fayette 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
- Estill County 457
- Fleming County 258
- Elliott County 148
- Floyd County 543
- Edmonson County 222
- Franklin County 252
Cite this page
“Fayette County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/fayette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.