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Adair County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 253 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,088 nationally and #66 in Kentucky.
253
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Adair County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adair County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 76 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 219 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adair County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.0M 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 Adair County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 0 | $453K | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 47 | 0 | $1.5M | 2 | 1968–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 6 | $10.0M | F4 | 1961–2018 |
| Flood | 7 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2015 |
Decade by decade
Adair County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-04-27 | EF4 | 6 | 58 | 14.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-28 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-01-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adair County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1971 | Tornado | 6 | 58 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 8, 2009 | Flood | BREEDING | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Mar 29, 1997 | Tornado | CANE VLY | 0 | 7 | $3.0M |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An extensive hail storm brought widespread damaging hail to Adair County with insurance claims for automobiles and homes expected to exceed 1 million dollars. In Columbia, over 150 skylights at a Wal-Mart were smashed. A lengthy swath of hail fell from a supercell thunderstorm that traveled from Nell, over 10 miles southwest of Columbia, through Columbia. Extensive damage to windows, siding, roofs and gutters was noted along a west to east path along State Highway 80 southwest of Columbia, and near the intersection of State Highways 704 and 55 just south of town.
An NWS Storm Survey found that the tornado first touched down 6 miles southeast of Columbia along Dale Morrison Road. Numerous trees were uprooted, a 145-foot barn was destroyed, and the top sheared off an adjacent silo. The tornado then moved east into a wooded area, snapping and uprooting trees. It damaged three more barns and uprooted more trees along Montpelier Rd. A home near the intersection of Montpelier Rd and Old Montpelier Rd sustained minor siding damage.
Emergency manager reported numerous trees, power lines and power poles down done on Old Montpelier Rd. Roof damage occurred to several homes. A few barns were pushed out and silos knocked down due to severe thunderstorm winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,089
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
27
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 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adair County, Kentucky?
253 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $12.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adair County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 159 recorded events — 62.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adair County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adair County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adair County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adair County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adair County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adair 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
- Allen County 233
- Anderson County 197
- Ballard County 310
- Barren County 340
- Bath County 322
- Bell County 374
Cite this page
“Adair County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/adair-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.