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Rockcastle County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 331 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,599 nationally and #34 in Kentucky.
331
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$8.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockcastle County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockcastle County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 322 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rockcastle County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $4.5M 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 Rockcastle County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 193 | 0 | $595K | 70 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 50 | 0 | $4.5M | 2.75 | 1982–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 0 | $680K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 30 | 0 | $9K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Tornado | 7 | 1 | $2.8M | F3 | 1974–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2022–2025 |
Decade by decade
Rockcastle County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 7 | 40 | 22.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-12-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockcastle County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 5, 1987 | 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
The same severe thunderstorm that moved through Pulaski county, traveled southeast across much of Rockcastle county. A large swath of hail ranging in size from quarters to golfballs pounded much of the county, including the towns of Brodhead, Level Green, Spiro, and Ottawa. Over 400 homes in Rockcastle county were damaged along with over 900 automobiles.
Emergency Management reported flash flooding in the community of Rockcastle. Ten streets are completely blocked with water; West Street, Chestnut Grove Rd., State Hwy 1505, West and South Main Street, Church Street, Silver Street, Albright Street, Owen Street, and Burton Lane. Eight businesses, 1 church, and an apartment complex are all inundated with water.
Brodhead City and Rockcastle County Emergency Management conducted a survey on the morning of April 9th. In coordination with NWS staff, it was determined that microburst wind damage occurred in and just outside of Brodhead, given damage fanned out in all directions. Straight-line wind damage was also confirmed from a portion of the squall line of thunderstorms that moved through. A couple of 100+ year old oak trees were uprooted, while power poles were blown over. Structural damage was also sustained to nearly 30 homes and outbuildings/barns along with the roof of a local mall.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,163
Population (ACS)
$124K
Median home value
34
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Brodhead 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockcastle County, Kentucky?
331 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockcastle County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 193 recorded events — 58.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockcastle County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rockcastle County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockcastle County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockcastle County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockcastle County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockcastle 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
- Robertson County 59
- Rowan County 278
- Pulaski County 760
- Russell County 198
- Powell County 380
- Scott County 295
Cite this page
“Rockcastle County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/rockcastle-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.