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Hancock County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 182 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,542 nationally and #101 in Kentucky.
182
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$563K
Property damage
The record
What the Hancock County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hancock County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 2.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 50 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 164 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $337K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hancock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 122 | 0 | $337K | 91 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1985–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $226K | F3 | 1952–2018 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Hancock County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-12-09 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 35.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hancock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 1987 | 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
The tornado crossed into Hancock County from Daviess County, KY, near Highway 1389. It continued northeast, with intermittent touchdowns, until it lifted in the southwest outskirts of Hawesville. A mobile home was destroyed along Highway 1389. Several barns and sheds were blown down near the intersection of highways 271 and 1389. Most of the damage, however, was in the form of large trees being uprooted or snapped. The parent thunderstorm crossed into Perry County, IN, where it later produced another tornado to the northeast of Cannelton.
Numerous trees were downed and several barns and other industrial buildings were damaged in a 1 1/2 mile wide swath that stretched for about 6 miles just west-southwest of Lockport. Evidence of both cyclonic and anti-cyclonic rotation of downed trees and debris was observed by the NWS damage surveyor at the eastern end of the area, where the greatest damage occurred, including the destruction of a large, well-built metal barn and another, smaller industrial outbuilding. Interior damage of walls occurred to living quarters attached to the metal barn. Farther west, a wooden barn was pushed eastward 3 feet off its foundation.
This tornado had intermittent touchdowns along a long track that began 7 miles west of Cloverport. It traveled in Hancock County for 6 miles before entering Breckinridge County 1 mile west of Cloverport. The tornado first touched down along Route 2181. Vinyl siding was removed from a home and small outbuildings were damaged. It then continued eastward, intermittently touching down and crossing Route 69. Four miles west of Cloverport, additional minor damage was surveyed to a group of homes along Route 2169. This tornado brought EF-1 damage to Hancock County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,034
Population (ACS)
$141K
Median home value
25
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 |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hancock County, Kentucky?
182 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $563K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hancock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 122 recorded events — 67.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hancock County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hancock County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hancock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hancock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hancock County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hancock 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
- Greenup County 326
- Hardin County 478
- Green County 227
- Harlan County 294
- Grayson County 310
- Harrison County 185
Cite this page
“Hancock County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/hancock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.