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Lincoln County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 207 recorded events between 1971 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,403 nationally and #88 in Kentucky.
207
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$4.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 191 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lincoln County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.1M 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 Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 134 | 0 | $1.3M | 90 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 30 | 0 | $80K | 4.5 | 1983–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 29 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $2.1M | F3 | 1973–2025 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln 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: 9 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 | EF3 | 1 | 98 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-01-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2010 | Flash Flood | STANFORD | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 65 | $0 | |
| Apr 20, 1996 | Tornado | MC KINNEY | 0 | 7 | $1.5M |
| Jan 2, 2006 | Tornado | MC KINNEY | 0 | 2 | $350K |
| May 26, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | KINGS MTN | 0 | 1 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains caused flash flooding of the Hanging Fork River on KY 300 near Stanford. One person died when a van with multiple passengers was swept off the road into the river. The driver of the van exited the vehicle and climbed onto the roof. He then lost his grip and fell into the rushing water. M47VE.
The emergency manager reported that flood waters were at least 6 feet deep, and that oil was leaking into the Green River. There was road and building damage at State Road 78 west of Stanford, State Road 2141, and State Road 1194 west of Stanford. To the south of Junction City at Mount Salem Road a trailer park was flooded. Al Schuler Road was washed out.
The Lincoln County emergency manager reported that a barn was blown down on Mt. Salem Road due to severe thunderstorm winds. There was also roof damage to multiple other barns in the area. Two metal silos overturned and damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,504
Population (ACS)
$147K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, Kentucky?
207 events are on record between 1971 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $4.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 134 recorded events — 64.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Lewis County 206
- Livingston County 225
- Letcher County 285
- Logan County 352
- Leslie County 333
- Lyon County 144
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.