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Lyon County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 144 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,728 nationally and #118 in Kentucky.
144
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Lyon County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lyon County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 46 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 135 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lyon County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $4.3M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lyon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 58 | 0 | $4.3M | 78 | 1979–2025 |
| Hail | 25 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1985–2025 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $145K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 1 | $1.4M | F3 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $133K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Lyon County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 57 | 515 | 168.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 3 | 34 | 42.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 1 | 21 | 34.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 20 | 44.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 25.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 27.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lyon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | EUREKA | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Mar 1, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | EDDYVILLE | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Apr 10, 2009 | Tornado | SARATOGA | 0 | 1 | $70K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The community of Kuttawa was struck by a microburst that downed numerous trees. Some of the trees were two to three feet in diameter. Extensive damage occurred at Kuttawa Harbor. Numerous boats and docks were damaged in the harbor. Three docks were extensively damaged.
A microburst with estimated peak winds near 85 mph heavily damaged a marina on Lake Barkley. A dock was heavily damaged with the metal flooring beams bent, along with damage to many metal vertical supports and the metal roof. A relatively small portion of the roofing was blown off. One boat was blown off a lift, and the boat was partially submerged. The microburst was about one-quarter mile long and 200 yards wide.
The tornado entered Lyon County from Marshall County as it crossed Kentucky Lake. The tornado reached the lakeshore at Hillman Ferry campground, within the Land Between The Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area. The tornado then moved east-northeast across the forests of LBL, producing a narrow swath of downed trees. After exiting LBL and crossing Lake Barkley, the tornado struck a subdivision on the east side of the lake. Damage to the well-constructed homes in this subdivision was estimated to be the result of F-2 winds. The tornado proceeded east-northeast across Interstate 24, passing near the 46-mile marker, before lifting at the community of Saratoga.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,900
Population (ACS)
$190K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lyon County, Kentucky?
144 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $6.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lyon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 58 recorded events — 40.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lyon County?
16 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 Lyon County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lyon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lyon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lyon County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lyon 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
- Logan County 352
- McCracken County 525
- Livingston County 225
- McCreary County 309
- Lincoln County 207
- McLean County 178
Cite this page
“Lyon County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/lyon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.