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Morgan County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 372 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,377 nationally and #25 in Kentucky.
372
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
83
Direct injuries
$77.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Morgan County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morgan County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 6.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 162 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 365 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Morgan County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $75.4M 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 Morgan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 241 | 0 | $868K | 65 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | $5K | 3 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 0 | $660K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $79K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Tornado | 5 | 6 | $75.4M | F2 | 1972–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Morgan 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: 4 touched down inside it and 1 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 |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-29 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morgan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | ARTVILLE | 6 | 80 | $75.0M |
| Sep 29, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A storm damage survey team from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson, Kentucky confirmed that an EF-3 tornado tracked from Menifee County into Morgan County on March 2, 2012. The tornado entered Morgan County at around 546 pm EST, just to the northwest of Ezel, and tracked east-northeast making a direct hit on downtown West Liberty at around 558 pm EST. The tornado caused extensive damage to nearly every structure in town, including the 105 year old courthouse, the depression-era WPA building that houses the community center and the 100 year old West Liberty United Methodist and Christian churches. The tornado continued northeast from West Liberty through the remainder of Morgan County, causing extensive damage to numerous structures and downing thousands of trees with a consistent path width of 3/4 to 1 mile throughout the county. Estimated peak winds in Morgan County were 140 mph. The tornado crossed into Lawrence county at 610 pm EST between Moon and Terryville. Six fatalities occurred in Morgan county as a direct result of the tornado.
Morgan County Dispatch reported that Cow Branch Road was closed near the community of Lenox due to water over the road, making it impassable. The EM then reported that cars had been washed down the creek, and houses had been inundated from the high water.
Straight line wind damage associated with a severe thunderstorm produced a path of damage approximately 9 miles long and 4 miles wide. Massive amounts of tree damage occurred all of which was lying in a southeastward direction. One mobile home received roof damage when a large pine tree fell onto the home. Barns and out buildings also received minor damage to the roof tin. Several cars received major damage as trees fell upon them.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,053
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
34
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 Morgan County, Kentucky?
372 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $77.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morgan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 241 recorded events — 64.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morgan County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Morgan County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morgan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morgan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morgan County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morgan 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
- Montgomery County 321
- Muhlenberg County 392
- Monroe County 175
- Nelson County 331
- Metcalfe County 189
- Nicholas County 127
Cite this page
“Morgan County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/morgan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.