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Warren County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 583 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #632 nationally and #6 in Kentucky.
583
Recorded events
19
Direct deaths
120
Direct injuries
$520.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Warren County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Warren County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 201 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 73 events fall before 1990 and 510 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Warren County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 18 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $510.4M 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 Warren County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 318 | 0 | $1.6M | 90 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $510.4M | 3 | 1965–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 55 | 1 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 40 | 0 | $780K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Tornado | 33 | 18 | $7.6M | F3 | 1957–2026 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Warren County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-11 | EF3 | 16 | 63 | 29.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 3 | 57 | 31.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 9 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-27 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 27.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-11 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF2 | 1 | 12 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-01-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Warren County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | PETROS | 16 | 63 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 45 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 2, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Apr 11, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLUE LEVEL | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| May 26, 2010 | Lightning | (BWG)BOWLING GREEN A | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2007 | Lightning | BOWLING GREEN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 9, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOWLING GREEN | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Barren River at Bowling Green crested at 43.7 feet around 315 PM EST on May 3. Flood stage at Bowling Green is 28 feet. Moderate flooding occurs at this level, which is about 1.3 feet below the major flood stage. Several homes were flooded, the Beech Bend Racetrack was flooded, as were the approaches to the Kentucky 185 bridge.
A supercell thunderstorm developed over northern Tennessee and moved into south central Kentucky during the early evening hours of November 15. It produced multiple, short-lived tornado touchdowns along its path, which stretched for nearly 25 miles across three counties. The third and final touchdown was in Warren County in the Woodburn area. The tornado was on the ground for approximately a mile, and did F1 damage to at least three businesses, six homes, and numerous barns and outbuildings.
An EF-2 tornado touched down just to the east of Interstate 65 around 3 miles southwest of Smith's Grove. After damaging several outbuildings, it encountered a set of 4 grain silos just to the south of Glasgow Road. It destroyed all 4 silos and threw their remains several hundred yards to the east. The tornado stayed on the ground for 3 miles, eventually crossing Interstate 65 just south of Smith's Grove. This tornado overturned a semi-trailer on the interstate. Before lifting up just to the east of Smith's Grove, it destroyed an older wooden barn and a large well constructed dairy barn, ripping steel I-beams out of their concrete base, scattering its roof, and collapsing its southern and eastern cinder block walls.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
140,918
Population (ACS)
$258K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bowling Green 226
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Warren County, Kentucky?
583 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 19 direct deaths and $520.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Warren County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 318 recorded events — 54.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Warren County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Warren County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Warren County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Warren County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Warren County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Warren 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
- Union County 276
- Washington County 163
- Trimble County 152
- Wayne County 311
- Trigg County 300
- Webster County 217
Cite this page
“Warren County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/warren-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.