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Russell County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 198 recorded events between 1970 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,455 nationally and #92 in Kentucky.
198
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
74
Direct injuries
$4.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Russell County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Russell County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 65 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 178 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Russell County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Russell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 138 | 0 | $611K | 87 | 1970–2026 |
| Hail | 30 | 0 | $300 | 1.75 | 1981–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $125K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Tornado | 9 | 2 | $4.0M | F4 | 1971–2025 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Russell County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-16 | EF4 | 18 | 0 | 60.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-27 | EF4 | 2 | 72 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Russell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1971 | Tornado | 2 | 70 | $2.5M | |
| May 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Russell Springs | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Apr 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Mar 30, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A boat storage building near the town of Russell Springs was partially destroyed. The roof of the building was blown off. Some 2 by 6 boards from the building were driven 18 inches deep into the ground. One boat in the building was destroyed, and several others were damaged. Numerous trees were downed.
Lightning struck a tree near Beckham Ridge Road 1 mile from West Highway 80. The homeowner had just entered their car when lightning struck. Bark was blown off the tree, and the tree snapped and fell on the car. Cost of damage is unknown.
Thunderstorm winds brought down at least three trees across the county. One fell across power lines on County Highway 910 near Russell Springs. Two others fell on Blair School Road west of Jamestown and near Lakeway Drive in Russell Springs.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,221
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Russell County, Kentucky?
198 events are on record between 1970 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $4.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Russell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 138 recorded events — 69.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Russell County?
10 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 Russell County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Russell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Russell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Russell County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Russell 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
- Rowan County 278
- Scott County 295
- Rockcastle County 331
- Shelby County 325
- Robertson County 59
- Simpson County 256
Cite this page
“Russell County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/russell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.