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Daviess County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 553 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 37.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #714 nationally and #8 in Kentucky.
553
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$96.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Daviess County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Daviess County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 481 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Daviess County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $80.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Daviess County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 206 | 0 | $6.5M | 104 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $3.3M | 3 | 1971–2025 |
| Flood | 54 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 50 | 1 | $672K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $80.0M | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $195K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
Decade by decade
Daviess County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-10-18 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-01-03 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-12-09 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 35.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Daviess County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | MOSELEYVILLE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Jan 3, 2000 | Tornado | ROME | 0 | 18 | $64.0M |
| Oct 19, 2007 | Tornado | OWENSBORO | 0 | 8 | $11.5M |
| Oct 19, 2007 | Tornado | ST JOSEPH | 0 | 4 | $500K |
| Dec 9, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Oct 18, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | MASONVILLE | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| May 5, 2003 | Tornado | ST JOSEPH | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| May 17, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A series of thunderstorms produced rainfall rates estimated by radar up to three inches in two hours. A car was swept off Highway 140 West by rapidly flowing floodwater. The vehicle was found about two hours later, submerged in a deep ditch with rapidly flowing water. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Just prior to the fatality, the fire department had assisted another vehicle stranded in floodwaters in the same vicinity. In other parts of Daviess County, sections of U.S. Highway 431 and Kentucky Highway 81 were closed due to high water.
Moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio River. At the Owensboro river gage, the river continued to fall after cresting at 46.30 feet in late April. A riverside park and parts of Water Street in Owensboro were flooded. At the peak of the flooding, Panther Creek flooded extensively due to backwater from the Ohio River, which forced some evacuations of residents in the Pettit area. Panther Creek covered parts of U.S. Highway 431 and surrounded a few major businesses such a home improvement store. Ohio River backwater worsened flooding of the Green River, flooding a house in Curdsville with a foot of water. The Red Cross opened a shelter. Countywide, 63 county roads and 18 state roads were closed at the peak of the flooding. About a dozen county roads were damaged. The damage consisted mostly of washed out shoulders and bridge approaches.
A severe storm produced a swath of hail up to the size of baseballs and wind gusts up to 50 mph from near St Joseph through the south and east sides of Owensboro. The area of Cummins Road just south of St Joseph sustained the most significant damage. Several homes sustained broken siding and windows, as well as roof damage. The storm continued to damage roofs and break windows as it passed near Panther Creek Park and through the south and east sides of Owensboro. Scores of vehicles sustained damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
103,648
Population (ACS)
$200K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Owensboro 308
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Daviess County, Kentucky?
553 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $96.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Daviess County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 206 recorded events — 37.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Daviess County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Daviess County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Daviess County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Daviess County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Daviess County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Daviess 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
- Edmonson County 222
- Cumberland County 148
- Elliott County 148
- Crittenden County 156
- Estill County 457
- Clinton County 174
Cite this page
“Daviess County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/daviess-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.