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Clinton County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 174 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,590 nationally and #109 in Kentucky.
174
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
68
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Clinton County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clinton County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 159 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clinton County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.0M 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 Clinton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $1.0M | 80 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1968–2024 |
| Tornado | 18 | 9 | $407K | F4 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Clinton 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: 14 touched down inside it and 2 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 | EF4 | 10 | 113 | 38.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-01-04 | EF1 | 1 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-10-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clinton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 8 | 63 | $0 | |
| Jan 5, 1997 | Tornado | ALBANY | 1 | 2 | $50K |
| Jun 26, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The fourth touchdown in this family of tornadoes produced by a cyclic supercell did the most damage in Clinton County as it hit several residences in a rural subdivision along Pleasure Ridge Road. After moving through uninhabited hillside for a mile, uprooting and snapping trees in a nearly quarter-mile wide path, the tornado tore the roof of a ranch-style brick home and destroyed its nearby outbuildings. Continuing along parallel to Pleasure Ridge Road, the tornado destroyed a mobile home, barn, and grain silo in its path, and heavily damaged at least three other homes before exiting the county.
As the storm continued eastward, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged by the third tornado touchdown produced by the supercell. In addition to the structural damage covering nearly 1 1/2 miles, scores of trees were downed as were utility lines. A witness at the end of this tornado's path reported seeing two tornadoes on the ground simultaneously, as the fourth tornado produced by this supercell touched down about 1/4 mile north of the ending point of the third twister.
An EF-1 tornado touched down west of Highway 639 south of Wago, moving east-northeast for approximately .4 mile before lifting. The tornado destroyed a barn and heavily damaged a grain silo along Highway 639, and downed several large trees. Trees were felled on a farmhouse and a late model SUV just north of the silo, destroying the SUV and doing extensive damage to the home. Other minor damage was sustained east of Highway 639 to several outbuildings.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,202
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
18
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 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 Clinton County, Kentucky?
174 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $1.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clinton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 111 recorded events — 63.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clinton County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clinton County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clinton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clinton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clinton County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clinton 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
- Clay County 333
- Crittenden County 156
- Clark County 198
- Cumberland County 148
- Daviess County 553
- Christian County 620
Cite this page
“Clinton County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/clinton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.