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Nelson County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 331 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,599 nationally and #34 in Kentucky.
331
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Nelson County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nelson County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 296 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nelson County, Kentucky record is flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $900K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Nelson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 | 0 | $470K | 83 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1981–2026 |
| Flood | 36 | 4 | $880K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 1 | $85K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 1 | $900K | F4 | 1969–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $50K | 0 | 2000–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Nelson 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: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 3 | 81 | 37.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nelson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 2013 | Flood | GETHSEMANE | 3 | 2 | $15K |
| Aug 24, 2000 | Lightning | NEW HAVEN | 2 | 0 | $25K |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | Bardstown | 1 | 24 | $250K |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Flash Flood | NELSONVILLE | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Nov 29, 2011 | Flood | CULVERTOWN | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | WOODLAWN | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Mar 12, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 27, 2012 | Lightning | BARDSTOWN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Nelson County emergency manager confirmed that 3 out of 5 occupants of an SUV died after it ran into water covering a low water crossing on Dee Head Road, which is located around 2 miles southeast of New Haven. Two people were rescued, but 3 drowned within the SUV. Heavy rain throughout the day on the 21st caused rapid rises in area creeks and streams. The vehicle was washed away at this crossing at around 3 am local time on the 22nd of December.
During the early morning hours of Thursday August 24, 2000, a complex of thunderstorms across South Central Indiana moved south into North Central Kentucky. The area of thunderstorms produced very heavy rain, locally strong winds and frequent lightning. A lightning strike apparently started a fire in a mobile home around 2 AM EST, possibly after striking near a propane tank. Two females, ages 7 and 9, were killed in the mobile home, apparently due to smoke inhalation.
A man died during the evening of November 29th, when he drove his vehicle around a barricade and attempted to cross a flooded low spot in the road where Bull Run Creek crosses Kentucky State Highway 46. He lost control of his vehicle and hit another vehicle already disabled in the flood water, then drowned when his vehicle was washed off the road and submerged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,606
Population (ACS)
$238K
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 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 |
| Mar 31, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Boston 126
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nelson County, Kentucky?
331 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $2.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nelson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 181 recorded events — 54.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nelson County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nelson County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nelson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nelson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nelson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nelson 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
- Muhlenberg County 392
- Nicholas County 127
- Morgan County 372
- Ohio County 339
- Montgomery County 321
- Oldham County 326
Cite this page
“Nelson County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/nelson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.