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Rowan County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 278 recorded events between 1967 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,910 nationally and #58 in Kentucky.
278
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Rowan County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rowan County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 272 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rowan County, Kentucky record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.5M 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 Rowan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 163 | 0 | $1.5M | 78 | 1967–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 1 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Hail | 43 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1973–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $284K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2021 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $250K | F2 | 1990–1995 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $2K | 0 | 2000–2006 |
Decade by decade
Rowan County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rowan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2000 | Lightning | FARMERS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 14, 2022 | Flash Flood | SHARKEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2018 | Flood | MOREHEAD | 1 | 0 | $200K |
| May 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clearfield | 0 | 12 | $500K |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several vehicles were submerged in water in Morehead, including police cruisers. Several roads were closed due to water covering them from overflowing creeks and streams. Additionally, a nine year old boy was swept into a culvert by flood waters near Morehead. His body was found a week later in the Triplett Creek area.
According to an article from LEX18 news in Lexington: Kentucky State Police say they were first called out in reference to a drowning on Bullfork Road in Rowan County. They say an 80-year-old man tried to cross a swollen tributary in a utility vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and tried to get to the other side of the tributary. While crossing, troops say he was swept away in the current. He was rescued and taken to the regional medical center, where he was pronounced dead.
A family of three including the mother, father, and infant daughter lived in a mobile home and had gone to their relatives' home to seek shelter in the basement. The family was struck by lightning outside between the car and home when the father died. The 2 month old infant received a minor head contusion and scratches after her father was struck and killed by lightning with the infant in his arms. The mother was not injured.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,578
Population (ACS)
$162K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Mar 31, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Morehead 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rowan County, Kentucky?
278 events are on record between 1967 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $3.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rowan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 163 recorded events — 58.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rowan County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rowan County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rowan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rowan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rowan County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rowan 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
- Rockcastle County 331
- Russell County 198
- Robertson County 59
- Scott County 295
- Pulaski County 760
- Shelby County 325
Cite this page
“Rowan County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/rowan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.