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Nicholas County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 127 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,789 nationally and #119 in Kentucky.
127
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Nicholas County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nicholas County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 2.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 118 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nicholas County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $2.1M 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 Nicholas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 70 | 0 | $686K | 87 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 2 | $2.1M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Hail | 5 | 0 | $20K | 2.75 | 1974–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2014 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | F1 | 1986–1986 |
Decade by decade
Nicholas 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: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 49.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-12-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nicholas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2023 | Flash Flood | HOOKTOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Flash Flood | MILLER | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Mar 12, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 17, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARLISLE | 0 | 1 | $300K |
| Jul 6, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Mar 12, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain caused flash flooding in Carlisle as Brushy Fork Creek quickly left it's banks. Several streets including Main Street were under several feet of water. Some reported over 4 feet of water in several homes. Homes were pushed off their foundations, and several cars floated downstream in the current. People had to be rescued through broken windows by emergency responders on watercraft. Some people lost most of their possessions, but one woman who lived in a mobile home on Moorefield Road lost her life after emergency responders couldn't respond in time to her call for help. She was found in the water 600 feet downstream.
The first damage occurred two miles west of Carlisle where straight line winds blew the roofs off a barn and a trailer, and a manufacturing company suffered significant roof damage. Tree and barn damage occurred on KY 32 and KY 1455 north of Carlisle. The most significant damage happened three miles northeast of Carlisle near the intersection of KY 32 and Stoney Creek Road. A small barn was completely destroyed and blown into the highway. Several other barns had their roofs removed. A car was blow 15 feet into a telephone pole by the winds.
Repeated rounds of heavy rainfall brought 6 to locally 8 inches of rain to the region July 13-14. This resulted in the Licking River at Blue Lick Springs to rise above flood stage. The river crested at 27.28 feet during the evening of July 14, which is 2.28 feet above flood stage. The river level dropped below flood stage early on July 16.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,708
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
32
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nicholas County, Kentucky?
127 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nicholas County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 70 recorded events — 55.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nicholas County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nicholas County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nicholas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nicholas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nicholas County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nicholas 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
- Nelson County 331
- Ohio County 339
- Muhlenberg County 392
- Oldham County 326
- Morgan County 372
- Owen County 238
Cite this page
“Nicholas County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/nicholas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.