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Johnson County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 323 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,647 nationally and #39 in Kentucky.
323
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$18.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Johnson County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Johnson County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 319 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Johnson County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.3M 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 Johnson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 191 | 0 | $771K | 74 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1992–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 4 | $7.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $29K | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Tornado | 4 | 2 | $10.3M | F1 | 1990–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Johnson County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 10 | 118 | 85.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 2 | 37 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Johnson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2015 | Flash Flood | FLATGAP | 4 | 15 | $3.5M |
| Mar 3, 2012 | Tornado | ASA | 2 | 7 | $10.0M |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | WITTENSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Jun 15, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WITTENSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding occurred in the Redbush and Flatgap communities, with devastating flooding occurring along Big Mudlick Creek and Ramey Branch. Four fatalities occurred and over 50 swift water rescues were performed in this area. Entire double wide houses were seen floating down Big Mudlick Creek and getting forced under a bridge. More than 150 homes were destroyed with as many as 500 homes being affected to some extent. While no rain gauges were located in this hard hit area, radar estimates indicate that around 3 of rain fell in an hour with brief rainfall rates of 6 to 7 per hour falling.||Of the four fatalities, one elderly woman and a disabled man were killed as they were trapped inside their mobile homes which were swept away by the flooding. A man was swept away after he got out of his sport utility vehicle as water rose around it. A fourth flood victim drown while attempting to rescue family members from the flood waters. He had successfully rescued his father, uncle, sister and nephew before being swept away.
A damage survey team from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson, Kentucky determined that an EF-3 tornado tracked across central Johnson County on March 2, 2012. The tornado had a path width of about 3/4 of a mile and estimated maximum wind speeds of 160 mph. The tornado crossed into Johnson County just west of the Asa community at 708 pm EST and continued east-northeast exiting the county between the Boons Camp and Davisport communities around 725 pm EST. The towns of Hagerhill and West Van Leer were particularly hard hit with several structures totally destroyed. Two fatalities occurred in Johnson county as a result of this tornado. ||Ten to twenty houses and a former church had their roofs blown off on a 3 mile stretch of Rt. 302 in West Van Leer. A house was blown onto Hwy 825 in Hagerhill, blocking the roadway. Two different apartment buildings collapsed in Hagerhill as well, one onto Hwy 321 and another on Hwy 1428.
Widespread flash flooding occurred across much of Johnson County during the evening of August 22nd as over three inches of rain fell in one to two hours. Basements, garages and homes were flooded in numerous areas with multiple reports of road damage to private and public property. Roads were completely blocked and in some cases were completely washed away. There were also numerous reports of downed trees and electric lines due to mudslides. Sixteen homes were classified as having major damage along with two businesses.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,334
Population (ACS)
$120K
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 |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Paintsville 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Johnson County, Kentucky?
323 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $18.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Johnson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 191 recorded events — 59.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Johnson County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Johnson County?
48 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Johnson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Johnson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Johnson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Johnson 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
- Jessamine County 177
- Kenton County 273
- Jefferson County 1,158
- Knott County 190
- Jackson County 308
- Knox County 290
Cite this page
“Johnson County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/johnson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.