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Mercer County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 196 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,465 nationally and #95 in Kentucky.
196
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$23.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Mercer County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mercer County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 53 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 168 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mercer County, Kentucky record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $22.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Mercer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 126 | 1 | $659K | 75 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1971–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 1 | $22.3M | F2 | 1972–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $103K | 0 | 1998–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Mercer County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-11 | EF2 | 1 | 8 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 16.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mercer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2003 | Tornado | BOHON | 1 | 8 | $15.0M |
| May 27, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARRODSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 18, 1995 | Tornado | Salvisa | 0 | 8 | $5.0M |
| Jul 3, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado formed northwest of Harrodsburg as an F1 tornado. It moved east northeast and strengthened to an F2 as it moved to near Bohon Road. Between Bohon Road and US 127, high F1 to low F2 damage was observed. The tornado lifted east of highway 127 with no additional damage. A 29 year old female drowned when her mobile home on Bohon Road was blown about one hundred yards toward the Salt River. Forty homes in the area were damaged, and of these, 12 were destroyed.
The tornado touched down on the east side of Harrodsburg and collapsed three walls of a warehouse. Near the intersection of KY 152 and Mac Court extensive tree damage occurred. Metal sheeting was found in trees. A large tree fell on a house and power lines, and that same house had its garage destroyed. A small branch was driven into the side of a car and a chimney was knocked down from a house. Near KY 152 and Montrose Street the roof of a factory was blown in and extensive tree damage occurred. An elementary school suffered extensive roof and ceiling damage.
Two vortices were spotted near Tablow on the Washington/Mercer County line. The tornadoes destroyed a barn, and damaged a house and a garage near Tablow. One half mile east of Tablow along Highway 926, a house deck was destroyed, a large tree was uprooted, and several other trees were damaged. In the town of Dugansville, a house received roof and chimney damage. Several barns were damaged there, and there was also some tree damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,028
Population (ACS)
$202K
Median home value
25
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 |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 31, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mercer County, Kentucky?
196 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $23.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mercer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 126 recorded events — 64.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mercer County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mercer County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mercer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mercer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mercer County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mercer 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
- Menifee County 225
- Metcalfe County 189
- Meade County 278
- Monroe County 175
- Mason County 236
- Montgomery County 321
Cite this page
“Mercer County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/mercer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.