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Breckinridge County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 349 recorded events between 1970 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,497 nationally and #28 in Kentucky.
349
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$5.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Breckinridge County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Breckinridge County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 321 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Breckinridge County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.5M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Breckinridge County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 206 | 0 | $1.1M | 90 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1986–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 1 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 23 | 1 | $4.5M | F5 | 1974–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Breckinridge County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 31 | 270 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 57 | 515 | 168.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-28 | EF2 | 1 | 19 | 32.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Breckinridge County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2002 | Tornado | CLOVERPORT | 1 | 7 | $750K |
| May 26, 2006 | Flash Flood | IRVINGTON | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 31, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARNED | 0 | 2 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado crossed into central Breckinridge County from Perry County, IN. The tornado lifted periodically as it crossed eastern Breckinridge County, and reached the Irvington area around 0325 EST. A 52 year old male was killed in a mobile home in Irvington. Seven people were injured. A few homes were destroyed and numerous homes were damaged. Two homes had their roofs torn off. Numerous trees were uprooted, and many outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado was estimated at F2 intensity, with spots of F3 damage.
The EF-2 tornado began one mile east northeast of Stinnettsville, and moved to the northeast through Rosetta, where most of the damage occurred. A church was destroyed. A nearby home lost a large section of roof. Two large outbuildings were destroyed. A 16 foot trailer was moved and wrapped around a tree. Winds moved a 4500 pound tractor seven feet. A pickup truck was thrown 75 feet and flipped over. Numerous trees along the tornado path were uprooted or snapped.
This tornado originally touched down 7 miles west of Cloverport in Hancock County. It crossed into Breckinridge County around one mile west of Cloverport and had an intermittent 10 mile track, bringing the total path length across both counties to 17 miles. The twister lifted just west of Cloverport and touched down again just east of town, uprooting numerous soft and hardwood trees. The tornado strengthened to an EF-2 as it destroyed two homes on New Bethel-Cloverport Road. Farther east, near B Flood Road, several other structures received EF-1 damage. Several chicken farms had major damage with a significant loss of poultry. Just before lifting east of Route 269, the tornado downed several trees and did additional damage to a metal structure.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,881
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Breckinridge County, Kentucky?
349 events are on record between 1970 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $5.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Breckinridge County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 206 recorded events — 59.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Breckinridge County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Breckinridge County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Breckinridge County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Breckinridge County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Breckinridge County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Breckinridge 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
- Breathitt County 566
- Bullitt County 312
- Bracken County 188
- Butler County 294
- Boyle County 177
- Caldwell County 177
Cite this page
“Breckinridge County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/breckinridge-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.