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Franklin County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 252 recorded events between 1964 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,090 nationally and #67 in Kentucky.
252
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
86
Direct injuries
$13.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Franklin County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Franklin County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 226 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Franklin County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $6.6M 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 Franklin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 146 | 0 | $6.6M | 85 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 42 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1982–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 5 | $3.1M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Tornado | 10 | 4 | $3.0M | F4 | 1964–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2003–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Franklin County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 | EF4 | 4 | 122 | 79.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 33.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Franklin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 4 | 85 | $250K | |
| Aug 22, 2003 | Flash Flood | HARVIELAND | 2 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Flash Flood | FRANKFORT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | Flash Flood | BENSON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2006 | Flash Flood | FRANKFORT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2003 | Lightning | FRANKFORT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A woman and her son were killed when their home was washed into Stony Creek, a tributary of the Kentucky River. Eight other homes were destroyed, and 32 others were damaged. Of the damaged homes, 21 were uninhabitable. Many vehicles were damaged and moved by the force of the flood waters. Several roads in the Harvieland and Bald Knob area northwest of Frankfort were washed out. Two school buses were trapped by high water in the area, but all aboard were rescued without injury.
A 62 year old male on Devils Hollow Road drove his vehicle into high water on his way to work. His body was found three miles downstream in Benson Creek around 10:30 AM the next day. The time of this report was based on nearby home surveillance footage. The cost of damage is unknown.
The Kentucky River at Frankfort crested at 42.8 feet around 7 PM EST on May 4. Flood stage at Frankfort is 31 feet. Major flooding occurs at this level with basements of homes and businessed in downtown Frankfort flooded. The Bellepoint area was cut off by high water.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,842
Population (ACS)
$217K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Franklin County, Kentucky?
252 events are on record between 1964 and 2025, causing 9 direct deaths and $13.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Franklin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 146 recorded events — 57.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Franklin County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Franklin County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Franklin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Franklin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Franklin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Franklin 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
- Floyd County 543
- Fulton County 230
- Fleming County 258
- Gallatin County 161
- Fayette County 482
- Garrard County 172
Cite this page
“Franklin County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/franklin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.