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Lawrence County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 235 recorded events between 1973 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,215 nationally and #72 in Kentucky.
235
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Lawrence County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lawrence County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 2 events fall before 1990 and 233 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lawrence County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.3M 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 Lawrence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 101 | 0 | $1.3M | 91 | 1973–2026 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $932K | 3 | 1990–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 34 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 32 | 0 | $258K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 5 | 2 | $2.9M | EF3 | 2012–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2000–2016 |
Decade by decade
Lawrence County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 10 | 118 | 85.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lawrence County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | MARTHA | 2 | 6 | $2.0M |
| Jul 4, 2016 | Tornado | LOUISA | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | TERRYVILLE | 0 | 2 | $350K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were blocked by flooding small streams throughout the county. Several culverts were damaged or washed out, damaging and closing roads. Blaine and Webbville Fire Departments, plus Cherryville Fire and Rescue, responded to individuals in stalled flooded vehicles. A few examples of flooding included Buck Branch, which was blocking 3 D Road and getting around a few houses. Flooding occurred along Georges Creek around Charley. ||Total 24 hour rain amounts reached 2.5 to 4 inches during this flooding.||The county damage assessment was 6 homes destroyed and 8 others with major damage. Another dozen homes and 2 businesses had minor damage. About 8 homes were classified as in a major risk due to hillside slides. Around 43 small private bridges or culverts were destroyed.
The tornado did extensive damage to the Louisa Walmart and the Brown Food Service Warehouse. Cars and shipping containers were overturned and moved up to 30 yards in the Walmart parking lot. Structural damage to the Walmart and the Brown Food Service warehouse occurred. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado crossed the Tug Fork into West Virginia before dissipating.||Maximum wind gusts were estimated at 120 mph. There were 5 minor injuries at the Walmart.
Many streams in the western portion of the county flooded. Roads were closed. Roads were damaged including culverts. Some examples of the flooded streams included Deans Branch, Cains Creek, Irish Creek, Abb Creek, Cherokee Creek, and Blaine Creek. The gauge on Blaine Creek rose from 4 feet to near 16 feet. Two or 3 homes had moderate to major damage, with over a dozen with minor damage. In a lot of cases, water got under and surrounded mobile homes and into outbuildings.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,077
Population (ACS)
$112K
Median home value
49
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 Lawrence County, Kentucky?
235 events are on record between 1973 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lawrence County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 101 recorded events — 43.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lawrence County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lawrence County?
49 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lawrence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lawrence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lawrence County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lawrence 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
- Laurel County 590
- Lee County 281
- Larue County 207
- Leslie County 333
- Knox County 290
- Letcher County 285
Cite this page
“Lawrence County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/lawrence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.