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Harrison County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 185 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,532 nationally and #100 in Kentucky.
185
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Harrison County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harrison County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 76 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 173 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 $929K 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 Harrison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $929K | 70 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $83K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1992–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $885K | F3 | 1974–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $780K | 0 | 2005–2009 |
Decade by decade
Harrison 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: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 27 | 19.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 33.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 49.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-10-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-12-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harrison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 27 | $25K | |
| Mar 1, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | ODDVILLE | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | POINDEXTER | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | BROADWELL | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down near 812 Mt. Vernon Road, damaging a home and a barn at that location. Along Connersville Road, the tornado lifted the roofs off three homes and damaged three others. It also destroyed several barns and outbuildings, and snapped numerous hardwood trees. It damaged a few more barns and trees before lifting about a half mile southwest of Cynthiana. Several businesses in the city of Cynthiana had sign damage from 70 mph straight line winds.
The Harrison County emergency manager reported a mobile home was destroyed due to severe thunderstorm winds. This resulted in 2 minor injuries. Another mobile home and a barn had its roofs blown off. There were numerous trees and utility poles down in the area.
The NWS in conjunction with Harrison County Emergency Management determined the area northeast of Cynthiana along Salem Pike had 70 to 80 mph wind damage. Besides trees being split and uprooted, a double-wide trailer was picked up off blocks and thrown 75 yards. A large deck structure on the front of the double-wide was thrown 40 to 50 yards to the east. There was 1 minor injury. Further east from the trailer was a large metal outbuilding that had roof and doors blown off. Several more trees were uprooted or split. One home had roof and siding damage. Another residence had their garage blown in, and a power pole was split and bent severely towards the east. A single family residence's front porch pillars were blown in. The other debris was blown 1/4 mile downwind. Peak winds were 80 mph. The duration of the thunderstorm wind damage event was 5 minutes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,140
Population (ACS)
$202K
Median home value
24
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 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cynthiana 123
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harrison County, Kentucky?
185 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harrison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 113 recorded events — 61.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harrison County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harrison County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harrison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harrison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harrison County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harrison 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
- Harlan County 294
- Hart County 293
- Hardin County 478
- Henderson County 373
- Hancock County 182
- Henry County 214
Cite this page
“Harrison County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/harrison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.