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Lee County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 281 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,889 nationally and #57 in Kentucky.
281
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 274 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.5M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 184 | 0 | $380K | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1958–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $106K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 2010–2022 |
| Tornado | 2 | 1 | $2.5M | F3 | 1961–1987 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2021–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Lee County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-06-09 | EF3 | 1 | 63 | 2.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1961 | Tornado | 1 | 25 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Significant damage occurred to roads in the Brushy Creek, Wide Creek, Paw Paw, and Primrose Lane areas in the June 20th flash floods. Kentucky Hwy 52S was also heavily damaged in the Sharp Rock area when the hillside below the road collapsed and slid away.
A bridge was washed out on Paw Paw Creek Road south of Beattyville. In fact, several roads in Lee county were damaged due to flash flooding on June 20th. The governor of Kentucky declared a state of emergency in Lee county.
A vacant house on Kentucky State Highway 399 burned early Sunday morning after being hit by lightning from a thunderstorm. The lightning jolted a breaker loose on a nearby transformer that also served another house. By the time fire departments arrived at the scene, the structure was fully engulfed in flames and was a total loss.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,339
Population (ACS)
$84K
Median home value
42
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Beattyville 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Kentucky?
281 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $4.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 184 recorded events — 65.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
3 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 Lee County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Lawrence County 235
- Leslie County 333
- Laurel County 590
- Letcher County 285
- Larue County 207
- Lewis County 206
Cite this page
“Lee County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.