Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Orange; Washington; Scott; Jefferson; Dubois; Crawford; Perry; Harrison; Floyd; Clark; Hancock; Breckinridge; Meade; Ohio; Grayson; Hardin; Bullitt; Jefferson; Oldham; Trimble; Henry; Shelby; Franklin; Scott; Harrison; Spencer; Anderson; Woodford; Fayette; Bourbon; Nicholas; Nelson; Washington; Mercer; Jessamine; Clark; Larue; Marion; Boyle; Garrard; Madison; Butler; Edmonson; Hart; Green; Taylor; Casey; Lincoln; Logan; Warren; Simpson; Allen; Barren; Monroe; Metcalfe; Adair; Russell; Cumberland; Clinton
Spencer County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 166 recorded events between 1971 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,629 nationally and #111 in Kentucky.
166
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Spencer County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Spencer County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 146 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Spencer County, Kentucky record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.9M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Spencer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 | 0 | $379K | 75 | 1971–2025 |
| Hail | 30 | 0 | $100K | 2.5 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $805K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 1 | $175K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.9M | F4 | 1974–2025 |
Decade by decade
Spencer County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 3 | 81 | 37.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-05-28 | EF4 | 0 | 10 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-03-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Spencer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2019 | Flood | WILSONVILLE | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | TAYLORSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A vehicle attempted to navigate a flooded low water crossing that was flowing with water at the time. A family of four was in the vehicle. The mother and two children were rescued. The father's body was found several hours later downstream.
A NWS Storm Survey team found straight line wind damage of approximately 50 to 60 mph just east of Whitfield, Kentucky on the Bullitt and Spencer County lines, and east into Spencer County. There was damage to a RV and its shed. In Spencer County, a roof was blown off of an older barn, and an older shed was moved off its piers. In addition, numerous cedar trees were blown over and large branches of hardwood trees were broken off. Overall, damage extended 1.25 miles east of where it began on the Spencer and Bullitt County line. The duration of the thunderstorm wind event was approximately 1 minute.
A law enforcement official reported that excessive rainfall and flash flooding impacted numerous roads in Taylorsville. The high water also was flooding parts of some homes in the area. Approximately 4 inches of rain fell across the region in a 2 to 3 hour period.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,193
Population (ACS)
$330K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 23, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Taylorsville 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Spencer County, Kentucky?
166 events are on record between 1971 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Spencer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 88 recorded events — 53.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Spencer County?
11 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 Spencer County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Spencer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Spencer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Spencer County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Spencer 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
- Simpson County 256
- Taylor County 347
- Shelby County 325
- Todd County 273
- Scott County 295
- Trigg County 300
Cite this page
“Spencer County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/spencer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.