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Floyd County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 543 recorded events between 1967 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #749 nationally and #9 in Kentucky.
543
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$12.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Floyd County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Floyd County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 197 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 527 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Floyd County, Kentucky record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.7M 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 Floyd County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 244 | 1 | $947K | 83 | 1967–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 112 | 0 | $10.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 90 | 0 | $13K | 2.75 | 1970–2025 |
| Flood | 78 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2011–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $63K | 0 | 2002–2022 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $35K | F1 | 1970–2011 |
Decade by decade
Floyd County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Floyd County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | PRESTONSBURG | 1 | 0 | $155K |
| Sep 9, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Lightning | DOTSON | 0 | 1 | $60K |
| Aug 4, 2001 | Flash Flood | SOUTH CENTRAL PORTION | 0 | 1 | $7.6M |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALLEN | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Aug 6, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flood waters damaged several county roads, drains, and bridges. Water was flowing across Kentucky Highway 114 near Dotson. A couple of house trailers were submerged in flood waters. There were also several mudslides in the area.
Severe flash flooding occurred across parts of Floyd County as three to four inches of rain fell in one to two hours. Flash flood reports first came in from Lancer where eight inches to a foot of water was flowing across a roadway. Flood waters was reported to have entered homes and vehicles along Spradlin Branch and Mays Branch near Prestonsburg and Main Street and North Lake Drive were closed in downtown Prestonsburg. Highway 1427 was washed out by flood waters and the Creekside Subdivision near the confluence of Potts Branch and Abbott Creek was evacuated due to rising water. Flood water washed partially washed out the road at the junction of Highway 979 and 1426 near Harold. Flood waters were reported to be covering all four lanes of US 23 near Auxier as late as midnight.
Trees were blown down throughout the county. Several trees were snapped or uprooted and power lines were downed along Hwy 114 and in Rough and Tough Branch in and near the community of Dotson. A billboard was also severely damaged due to the winds. The local VFD reported several transformer fires due to the downed trees and power lines.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,224
Population (ACS)
$99K
Median home value
48
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| May 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Prestonsburg 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Floyd County, Kentucky?
543 events are on record between 1967 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Floyd County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 244 recorded events — 44.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Floyd County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Floyd County?
48 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Floyd County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Floyd County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Floyd County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Floyd 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
- Fleming County 258
- Franklin County 252
- Fayette County 482
- Fulton County 230
- Estill County 457
- Gallatin County 161
Cite this page
“Floyd County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/floyd-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.