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Kenton County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 273 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,941 nationally and #61 in Kentucky.
273
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$26.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Kenton County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kenton County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 254 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kenton County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $23.1M 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 Kenton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 143 | 0 | $786K | 74 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | $48K | 2.75 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 4 | $23.1M | F1 | 1965–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Kenton County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-02 | EF4 | 4 | 8 | 9.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-11-19 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-03-19 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kenton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | BRACHT | 4 | 8 | $20.0M |
| Nov 20, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 15, 1996 | Lightning | COVINGTON | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were snapped or uprooted. In addition, damage occurred to the roofs of several homes and businesses. Most roof damage consisted of roofing material fully or partially removed. A few barns and outbuildings were completely destroyed. The damage was consistent with wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph. This was the continuation of a damage swath that started in Boone County.
Several hours of heavy rainfall caused area creeks and streams to overflow their bank. Numerous roads were closed due to the high water. Bank Lick Creek overflowed its banks flooding an area park and causing significant damage.
Multiple trees were reported snapped. In addition, a garage had its roof removed and had a collapsed wall. Numerous homes received shingle, soffit, fascia and chimney damage. Finally a HVAC compressor was blown on its side.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
171,288
Population (ACS)
$244K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kenton County, Kentucky?
273 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $26.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kenton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 143 recorded events — 52.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kenton County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kenton County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kenton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kenton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kenton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kenton 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
- Johnson County 323
- Knott County 190
- Jessamine County 177
- Knox County 290
- Jefferson County 1,158
- Larue County 207
Cite this page
“Kenton County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/kenton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.