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McLean County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 178 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 30.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,565 nationally and #102 in Kentucky.
178
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
The record
What the McLean County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McLean County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 68 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 164 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McLean County, Kentucky record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $3.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McLean County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 55 | 1 | $878K | 74 | 1967–2024 |
| Flood | 47 | 0 | $3.7M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 43 | 0 | $101K | 2 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $1.8M | F3 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2001–2006 |
Decade by decade
McLean County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-01-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 36.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McLean County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 11, 2003 | Tornado | SACREMENTO | 0 | 2 | $400K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Major flooding continued on the Green River from April. At the Calhoun river gage, the flood crest of 34.01 feet on the morning of May 7 was just a few inches lower than the 1997 flood. This 2011 flood crest was the sixth highest on record. Green River floodwaters inundated the entire community of Rumsey and about 20 percent of Calhoun. A very small part of Livermore was flooded.
Top wind speeds in this F-2 tornado were estimated near 120 MPH. The damage path extended from the extreme northwest side of Calhoun to the extreme northeast side of town. A total of about 53 buildings were damaged or destroyed, of which 43 were homes and 10 were businesses. At least one home and one business was destroyed, 5 houses received major damage, and 4 businesses including a church and daycare center received major damage. The business that was destroyed was a TV antenna/satellite service on Kentucky Highway 81 at the northern city limit of Calhoun. Most of the remainder of the structures received minor damage. In addition to the damaged homes and businesses, barns, grain bins, and at least one shed were destroyed. At the city-owned cemetery, 300 to 350 tombstones were overturned, and 50 trees were uprooted.
River levels rose into flood following a rainy couple weeks in the Green River basin, with a major rainfall event of nearly half a foot of rain on the 15th leading water levels to surge at Calhoun to major flood. Nearly the entire town of Rumsey sustained some amount of water intrusion. Lower Calhoun flooded as well, along with many thousands of acres in the Island and Jewel City areas. Many homes and businesses along the river had flooding issues develop. River levels remained in moderate flood as flooding continued into March.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,114
Population (ACS)
$149K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Calhoun 133
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McLean County, Kentucky?
178 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McLean County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 55 recorded events — 30.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McLean County?
9 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 McLean County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McLean County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McLean County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McLean County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McLean 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
- McCreary County 309
- Madison County 401
- McCracken County 525
- Magoffin County 305
- Lyon County 144
- Marion County 214
Cite this page
“McLean County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/mclean-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.