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McCracken County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 525 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #795 nationally and #10 in Kentucky.
525
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$44.2M
Property damage
The record
What the McCracken County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McCracken County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 181 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 481 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McCracken County, Kentucky record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $20.3M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McCracken County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 217 | 0 | $3.9M | 87 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 76 | 0 | $20.3M | 2.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 73 | 0 | $3.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 70 | 2 | $11.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 38 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $4.7M | F2 | 1958–2024 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $190K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
McCracken County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 3 | 34 | 42.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 16.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 22.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 18.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McCracken County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2011 | Flood | ROWLANDTOWN | 1 | 4 | $50K |
| Mar 1, 2019 | Flood | RAGLAND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | RAGLAND | 0 | 5 | $150K |
| Jan 22, 1999 | Tornado | (PAH)BARKLEY ARPT PA | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jan 18, 1996 | Tornado | PADUCAH | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Apr 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woodville | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Jun 6, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jan 9, 2022 | Flood | TYLER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado began at 11:08 AM CST just west of the intersection of Old Mayfield Road and McNeil Road. Traveling north-northeast, the tornado paralleled Old Mayfield Road, doing significant roof, siding, and fascia damage to numerous homes and a few businesses. A few homes had most of their roofing structures completely removed. Several outbuildings were completely destroyed. County emergency management officials assessed the damage and found four homes were destroyed and 68 homes were damaged. Numerous wooden power poles were snapped or tilted by tornadic winds. After crossing Hardmoney Road, the tornado did damage to homes, trees, and outbuildings along Michael Drive West before dissipating around 11:10 AM CST. Dozens of trees were uprooted or snapped, and dozens more suffered major tree limb damage. Additionally, strong straight-line inflow winds of 80 to 90 mph caused tree damage and minor structural damage along Michael Drive East. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph.
Widespread damaging winds around 75 mph occurred across much of western and central McCracken County, including the cities of Paducah and Lone Oak. A wind gust to 75 mph was measured by the automated observing system at Barkley Regional Airport. A wind gust to 68 mph was measured at a fire station in Grahamville. Numerous buildings sustained minor roof damage, including a few historic landmarks in downtown Paducah. A metal wall panel was blown off a large storage building in Paducah. A large tree fell through the kitchen and bedroom of a house. Several outbuildings and sheds were destroyed, including one that was blown onto a road near Barkley Regional Airport. Trees and signs were blown down areawide, including some large uprooted trees. Numerous power outages lasted through the morning. Some roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines. A large tree was down on a vehicle in Paducah, destroying the vehicle. A power pole and power lines were down on a car in Lone Oak.
The tornado formed near the Ballard/McCracken County line, just east of Kevil. It tracked northeast for about a mile through the Lone Lake subdivision. In the Lone Lake subdivision, three mobile homes were blown off their foundations, and two other mobile homes were severely damaged. Three garages, two cars, and a camper were destroyed. Closer to the beginning of the tornado track along the Ballard County line, two barns were destroyed, and four houses received minor damage. Top winds in this tornado were estimated near 100 MPH.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
67,564
Population (ACS)
$188K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Paducah 159
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McCracken County, Kentucky?
525 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $44.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McCracken County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 217 recorded events — 41.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McCracken County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McCracken County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McCracken County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McCracken County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McCracken County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McCracken 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
- Lyon County 144
- McCreary County 309
- Logan County 352
- McLean County 178
- Livingston County 225
- Madison County 401
Cite this page
“McCracken County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/mccracken-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.