Live
Active alerts for this county
Special Weather Statement
Knox; Bell; Harlan; Morgan; Johnson; Wolfe; Magoffin; Floyd; Lee; Breathitt; Knott; Owsley; Perry; Clay; Leslie; Letcher; Martin; Pike
Perry County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 387 recorded events between 1970 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,306 nationally and #19 in Kentucky.
387
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Perry County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Perry County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 145 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 375 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Perry County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.6M 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 Perry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 219 | 0 | $692K | 70 | 1970–2026 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $10 | 2.75 | 1980–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 55 | 7 | $1.6M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $102K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Debris Flow | 5 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $3K | F1 | 1983–1983 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Perry County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Perry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2022 | Flash Flood | MANUEL | 6 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2022 | Flash Flood | SAUL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2001 | Flash Flood | SOUTH PORTION | 0 | 1 | $385K |
| Jul 12, 1984 | 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
Multiple reports of flash flooding were made across northeast Perry County, especially along Troublesome Creek. Reports included:||12:10 AM EST – Flash flood waters were reported over KY-476 in the Dwarf area. |2:00 AM EST – Pictures on social media show multiple homes swept away by flash flood waters along Lost Creek, adjacent to the intersection of KY-15 and Lost Creek-Dice Road. |2:30 AM EST – Robinson Elementary School was completed inundated by flash flood waters from Troublesome Creek.|2:30 AM EST – Pigeonroon-Bulan Road is innundated near the KY-476 intersection by flash flooding from Troublesome Creek.
Extensive flash flooding occurred in northwest Perry County. Some of the reports include:||12:00 AM EST – Water rescues were performed on Cam Johnson Branch and Freeman Fork Road in the Buckhorn community.|12:00 AM EST – Water rescues were performed on Garfield Lane and Keneva Road in the Chavies community.|12:00 AM EST – Public reported a house is cascading into a creek, split in half. |12:00 AM EST – Pictures on social media show mud and debris along the floor at the Davidson Church along KY-28. |12:00 AM EST – Severe flash flood damage and bridge washed out near the intersection of Buck Branch Road and KY-28 near Chavies. |2:27 AM EST – Pictures on social media show significant flash flooding through Buckhorn School. |2:40 AM EST – Buckhorn School is flooded and nearby Squabble Creek is out of its banks.|6:00 AM EST – The cooperative observer at Buckhorn Lake reported 8 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period.
Extensive flooding was reported in the Big Creek area along Hwy 1096. Cars were reported to have been washed away with water also entering houses in the area. One water rescue took place for people trapped in rising waters in the area. The Big Creek Elementary school was flooded by as much as 3.5 feet of water. The interior of the building received only minor damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,499
Population (ACS)
$92K
Median home value
47
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hazard 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Perry County, Kentucky?
387 events are on record between 1970 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Perry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 219 recorded events — 56.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Perry County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 0 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Perry County?
47 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Perry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Perry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Perry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Perry 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
- Pendleton County 218
- Pike County 741
- Owsley County 193
- Powell County 380
- Owen County 238
- Pulaski County 760
Cite this page
“Perry County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/perry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.