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Meade County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 278 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,910 nationally and #58 in Kentucky.
278
Recorded events
31
Direct deaths
293
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Meade County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Meade County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 241 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Meade County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 31 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.3M 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 Meade County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 174 | 0 | $582K | 100 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $110K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 31 | $5.3M | F5 | 1974–2026 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Meade County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 3 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 | EF5 | 31 | 270 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-28 | EF2 | 1 | 19 | 32.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 30.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-11-18 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Meade County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 31 | 257 | $2.5M | |
| May 14, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Flaherty | 0 | 18 | $0 |
| May 5, 1996 | Tornado | EKRON | 0 | 10 | $500K |
| Feb 27, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRANDENBURG | 0 | 3 | $30K |
| Nov 15, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Nov 18, 2017 | Tornado | HAYSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $200K |
| Oct 19, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | FLAHERTY | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado caused extensive tree and power line damage near Happy Ridge Road, Wood Dale Road, and Maple Grove Drive. Several businesses were damaged in the Broadway and Lakeview Drive area. A cinder block storage building was toppled. The tornado knocked down the exterior wall of another building. A storage building was lifted up and thrown across Broadway. The Old Brandenburg Telephone Company Office had roof damage. A church was damaged near the intersection of Broadway and Highway 933.
A storm survey revealed that an EF-0 tornado with estimated 80 mph winds and a width of 200 yards struck Meade County around 5.7 miles southeast of Brandenburg. Initially, this tornado touched down in a grove of trees near the end of Kurtz Drive. It then damaged several homes on Kurtz Drive and near the intersection of Thornhill Drive and Gaines Road. One owner of a home east of Gaines Road mentioned that water was evacuated from all 4 toilets as the tornado passed by. Local residents reported a loud roar. Another home along Gaines Road has its front door pulled off. Before lifting right off Tom Cain Road, the tornado damaged a small shed.
The tornado touched down a mile north northwest of Flaherty, and lifted near Camp Carlson in the southern portion of Fort Knox. Damage from the tornado was consistent with an EF-1 tornado. Most of the damage was concentrated near the intersection of U.S. 60 and County Road 1882. The Rock Inn sustained roof damage, and a service station canopy was knocked over. The tornado also uprooted large trees along the damage path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,158
Population (ACS)
$208K
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 |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Meade County, Kentucky?
278 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 31 direct deaths and $6.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Meade County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 174 recorded events — 62.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Meade County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Meade County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Meade County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Meade County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Meade County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Meade 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
- Mason County 236
- Menifee County 225
- Martin County 211
- Mercer County 196
- Marshall County 375
- Metcalfe County 189
Cite this page
“Meade County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/meade-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.