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Carter County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 226 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,279 nationally and #76 in Kentucky.
226
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$26.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Carter County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Carter County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 220 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Carter County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $11.9M 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 Carter County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 82 | 0 | $2.5M | 74 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $577K | 1.75 | 1983–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 3 | $11.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $11.9M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 1 | $12K | 0 | 2000–2017 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $325K | F1 | 1986–2008 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Carter County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Carter County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2014 | Heavy Rain | BEETLE | 1 | 0 | $12K |
| Jul 21, 2010 | Flash Flood | SOLDIER | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Jun 16, 2003 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Jun 23, 1996 | Flash Flood | OLIVE HILL | 1 | 0 | $75K |
| Jun 5, 2001 | Flash Flood | GRAYSON | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| May 27, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | OLIVE HILL | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| May 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Streams such as Tygart Creek, Little and Big Sinking Creeks, Henderson Branch, Smith Run, and Mills Branch saw major flash flooding. A 72 year old woman drowned. Her mobile home was washed off its foundation and pushed some 200 yards to a bridge. The home broke into pieces at the bridge. Her body was not found until 3 days later near the mouth of the creek with the Little Sandy River. Downtown Olive Hill was flooded again. The crest was about a foot in downtown, compared to 4 to 5 feet during the flood in May. Nineteen homes were destroyed in the county with major damage to 60 to 70 others. Most of the damage was concentrated in the Grahn and Fultz vicinity. Around a half dozen vehicles were washed into Little Sinking Creek. Several private and a few public bridges were destroyed. ||Governor Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency. Carter County was included in the FEMA disaster declaration number 1925.
Localized downpours of 2 inches flooded roads around Hitchins. Three spelunkers were in one of the caves around Carter Caves. They were walking in a underground stream, heading toward a cave exit. They were about 20 feet from the exit, when a 4 to 5 foot surge of water entered the cave. The first hiker, a 23 year old man, was knocked down and carried back into the cave. His body was later recovered about 300 feet back into the cave.
Little Fork was swollen, but not flooding, near its junction with the feeder stream called Leadingham Branch. Rains of 1 to 1.5 inches likely had fallen in the vicinity over the past 24 hours. A lull in the rain occurred during the late afternoon and early evening. ||During the early evening, a 73 year male tried to drive his small vehicle across a low water bridge along the dead end gravel road leading to his home. He was a long time resident there. The low water bridge was a concrete slab in the bed of the creek. There were small pipes embedded in the concrete to handle low stream flow. The vehicle was swept off the bridge. The vehicle was not found until the 2nd of May, when water levels were lower. His body was found inside the vehicle.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,341
Population (ACS)
$133K
Median home value
37
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 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| May 22, 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 Carter County, Kentucky?
226 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $26.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Carter County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 82 recorded events — 36.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Carter County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Carter County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Carter County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Carter County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carter County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Carter 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
- Carroll County 176
- Casey County 252
- Carlisle County 215
- Christian County 620
- Campbell County 252
- Clark County 198
Cite this page
“Carter County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/carter-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.