55
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
73
Direct injuries
$58.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Christian County, Kentucky: 55 recorded events between 1963 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #308 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Christian County, Kentucky: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Christian County is the 2010s, when 24 of the county's 55 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Christian County archive, tornado makes up 8.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #308 for this hazard and #1 within Kentucky, putting it in the 89.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Christian County with 14 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 168.5 mi | 2,600 yd | Crossed in |
| 1968-04-03 | EF4 | 50.6 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-10 | EF3 | 122.6 mi | 2,000 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-26 | EF3 | 2.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 29.7 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-12 | EF3 | 9.5 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-29 | EF3 | 13.7 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 225 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2006 | GRACEY | F3 | 0 | 22 | $35.0M |
| May 13, 1978 | F3 | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 25, 2018 | HOPKINSVILLE | EF2 | 0 | 9 | $6.0M |
| Apr 4, 2011 | HOPKINSVILLE | EF2 | 0 | 7 | $2.0M |
| Apr 4, 1968 | F4 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Dec 11, 2021 | LA FAYETTE | EF2 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | MANNINGTON | EF3 | 0 | 2 | $150K |
| Feb 6, 2008 | SINKING FORK | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $4.4M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2025 | NEWSTEAD | EF2 | $1.3M |
| May 16, 2025 | OVIL | EF1 | $35K |
| May 26, 2024 | BINNS MILL | EF2 | $200K |
| Jan 3, 2023 | MERRITTSTOWN | EF0 | $30K |
| Apr 13, 2022 | ERA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 1, 2022 | HOPKINSVILLE | EF2 | $600K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | LA FAYETTE | EF2 | $0 |
| May 4, 2021 | CASKY | EF0 | $45K |
| Mar 3, 2020 | CROFTON | EF1 | $80K |
| Jan 11, 2020 | CASKY | EF1 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Christian County
- Thunderstorm Wind 271
- Hail 139
- Flood 57
- Flash Flood 48
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Twenty-seven homes were damaged and 17 were destroyed. A total of 19 garages, sheds, and barns were damaged or destroyed. Of the destroyed homes, at least five were mobile homes. The two injured persons transported themselves to local hospitals. The county was declared a federal major disaster area. Peak winds were estimated near 130 mph. The average path width was 225 yards.
The tornado path began along U.S. Highway 41 at a large auto parts manufacturing plant. The industrial warehouse type building was heavily damaged on the north and west sides. Large sections of roof up to 100 by 400 feet were removed. Small sections of exterior walls were peeled back or blown in. A rooftop hvac unit was blown off the building. There were seven injuries to workers inside the plant, mostly due to flying objects. One worker required overnight hospitalization. Some of the injuries included a broken jaw and broken foot. In front of the industrial building on U.S. 41, steel utility poles were bent almost to the ground. The remainder of the path was mostly through open farm country. Several barns were destroyed, and metal roofs were off two homes. Dozens of trees were uprooted. Observers at Fort Campbell reported seeing a rotating wall cloud about the time of the tornado. Peak winds were estimated near 130 mph. The average path width was 150 yards.
An EF2 tornado touched down along County Highway 164 just north of I-24 and caused some shingle damage to a house and pretty significant damage to a couple of barns. It continued east uprooting or snapping dozens of trees along its path. Many homes experienced mainly roof damage along River Bend Road and Westminster Place. The tornado crossed Hwy-41A and snapped about a half dozen power poles. Some damage to a house and outbuildings occurred along Harry Berry Lane before the tornado lifted just east of County Highway 109. Estimated peak winds with this tornado were 118 mph. The tornado occurred within a broader area of sporadic straight line winds that swept across southern Christian County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Christian County, Kentucky?
55 tornado events are recorded in Christian County between 1963 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Christian County?
The strongest tornado on record in Christian County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Christian County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Christian County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/christian-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.