KinwarnKentucky tornado warnings
The National Weather Service issued 800 tornado warnings, 5,599 severe thunderstorm warnings and 1,424 flash flood warnings for Kentucky from 2016 to 2025, about 80, 560 and 142 a year. That ranks 15th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Christian County had the most of any county: 56 tornado warnings.
Kentucky warnings and radar right now
Checking the National Weather Service for Kentucky…
Kentucky counties ranked by tornado warnings
Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.
| County | Tornado warnings | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood | Tornadoes since 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County | 56 | 236 | 48 | 58 |
| Graves County | 50 | 173 | 43 | 42 |
| Hopkins County | 46 | 160 | 47 | 21 |
| Marshall County | 45 | 140 | 43 | 28 |
| Henderson County | 42 | 156 | 37 | 28 |
| Livingston County | 38 | 156 | 31 | 13 |
| Trigg County | 38 | 149 | 40 | 28 |
| Caldwell County | 38 | 134 | 32 | 17 |
| Muhlenberg County | 37 | 131 | 39 | 24 |
| Union County | 37 | 127 | 23 | 29 |
| Calloway County | 37 | 119 | 45 | 45 |
| McCracken County | 36 | 161 | 41 | 29 |
| Lyon County | 33 | 111 | 30 | 14 |
| Breckinridge County | 32 | 231 | 29 | 21 |
| Crittenden County | 30 | 147 | 22 | 12 |
| Hardin County | 29 | 238 | 48 | 33 |
| Todd County | 29 | 163 | 46 | 21 |
| Warren County | 28 | 215 | 47 | 33 |
| Ballard County | 28 | 175 | 38 | 22 |
| Daviess County | 28 | 145 | 35 | 33 |
| McLean County | 28 | 100 | 24 | 10 |
| Meade County | 26 | 219 | 24 | 17 |
| Logan County | 25 | 173 | 43 | 25 |
| Webster County | 25 | 123 | 25 | 23 |
| Pulaski County | 24 | 200 | 63 | 27 |
| Butler County | 24 | 183 | 39 | 12 |
| Ohio County | 23 | 181 | 39 | 13 |
| Hart County | 23 | 167 | 32 | 19 |
| Marion County | 23 | 159 | 37 | 12 |
| Nelson County | 22 | 220 | 45 | 12 |
| Hickman County | 22 | 120 | 39 | 15 |
| Carlisle County | 21 | 132 | 31 | 7 |
| Casey County | 20 | 145 | 31 | 7 |
| Lincoln County | 20 | 128 | 25 | 12 |
| Washington County | 19 | 150 | 42 | 10 |
| Larue County | 19 | 139 | 27 | 15 |
| Simpson County | 19 | 133 | 35 | 17 |
| Grayson County | 18 | 179 | 37 | 15 |
| Jefferson County | 17 | 194 | 47 | 33 |
| Edmonson County | 17 | 159 | 30 | 10 |
| Bell County | 17 | 130 | 44 | 7 |
| Fulton County | 17 | 106 | 29 | 16 |
| Knox County | 16 | 173 | 53 | 3 |
| Kenton County | 16 | 161 | 37 | 13 |
| Garrard County | 16 | 139 | 26 | 11 |
| Boyle County | 16 | 124 | 27 | 12 |
| Laurel County | 15 | 252 | 62 | 20 |
| Clay County | 15 | 237 | 51 | 7 |
| Bullitt County | 15 | 177 | 41 | 12 |
| Boone County | 15 | 171 | 36 | 18 |
| Taylor County | 15 | 156 | 31 | 13 |
| Harlan County | 15 | 112 | 25 | 2 |
| Shelby County | 14 | 192 | 36 | 21 |
| Barren County | 14 | 191 | 37 | 21 |
| Adair County | 14 | 166 | 39 | 13 |
| Whitley County | 14 | 166 | 55 | 5 |
| Madison County | 14 | 137 | 21 | 19 |
| Hancock County | 14 | 136 | 25 | 10 |
| Wayne County | 14 | 115 | 31 | 9 |
| Campbell County | 13 | 158 | 37 | 3 |
| Bath County | 13 | 157 | 52 | 10 |
| Pendleton County | 13 | 121 | 24 | 9 |
| Green County | 12 | 163 | 29 | 11 |
| Allen County | 12 | 153 | 26 | 9 |
| Mercer County | 12 | 142 | 32 | 15 |
| Rowan County | 11 | 167 | 38 | 2 |
| McCreary County | 11 | 128 | 35 | 10 |
| Jackson County | 10 | 214 | 52 | 3 |
| Owsley County | 10 | 208 | 44 | 3 |
| Leslie County | 10 | 169 | 30 | 3 |
| Rockcastle County | 10 | 169 | 53 | 9 |
| Estill County | 10 | 159 | 34 | 8 |
| Spencer County | 10 | 147 | 38 | 11 |
| Cumberland County | 10 | 140 | 29 | 12 |
| Oldham County | 10 | 136 | 30 | 14 |
| Scott County | 10 | 132 | 27 | 15 |
| Montgomery County | 10 | 119 | 41 | 3 |
| Henry County | 10 | 118 | 16 | 18 |
| Metcalfe County | 9 | 156 | 36 | 19 |
| Powell County | 9 | 148 | 30 | 7 |
| Russell County | 9 | 128 | 32 | 9 |
| Greenup County | 9 | 104 | 32 | 7 |
| Bracken County | 9 | 102 | 24 | 7 |
| Perry County | 8 | 194 | 38 | 2 |
| Menifee County | 8 | 167 | 35 | 6 |
| Grant County | 8 | 125 | 25 | 9 |
| Fleming County | 8 | 123 | 32 | 10 |
| Jessamine County | 8 | 123 | 24 | 7 |
| Franklin County | 8 | 122 | 29 | 11 |
| Mason County | 8 | 97 | 20 | 12 |
| Breathitt County | 7 | 264 | 41 | 4 |
| Anderson County | 7 | 153 | 35 | 10 |
| Monroe County | 7 | 125 | 23 | 13 |
| Gallatin County | 7 | 113 | 20 | 3 |
| Owen County | 7 | 105 | 22 | 5 |
| Clinton County | 7 | 86 | 25 | 18 |
| Lee County | 6 | 208 | 33 | 2 |
| Woodford County | 6 | 147 | 28 | 7 |
| Fayette County | 6 | 134 | 29 | 9 |
| Harrison County | 6 | 110 | 24 | 10 |
| Clark County | 6 | 107 | 23 | 7 |
| Boyd County | 6 | 105 | 35 | 5 |
| Johnson County | 5 | 128 | 25 | 4 |
| Bourbon County | 5 | 124 | 22 | 5 |
| Letcher County | 5 | 107 | 21 | 2 |
| Lawrence County | 5 | 106 | 36 | 5 |
| Carter County | 5 | 92 | 33 | 3 |
| Elliott County | 5 | 90 | 23 | 1 |
| Morgan County | 4 | 198 | 43 | 5 |
| Floyd County | 4 | 173 | 44 | 2 |
| Pike County | 4 | 154 | 46 | 2 |
| Lewis County | 4 | 102 | 31 | 7 |
| Trimble County | 4 | 102 | 13 | 11 |
| Magoffin County | 3 | 188 | 37 | 3 |
| Wolfe County | 3 | 186 | 27 | 4 |
| Knott County | 3 | 144 | 31 | 1 |
| Carroll County | 3 | 65 | 17 | 10 |
| Robertson County | 3 | 59 | 12 | 2 |
| Nicholas County | 2 | 88 | 19 | 2 |
| Martin County | 1 | 98 | 20 | 1 |
Kentucky warnings by year
Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.
Tornadoes since 1950
1,282 tornadoes have been recorded in Kentucky since 1950, 22 of them rated 4 or 5 on the F or EF scale. They killed 241 people and injured 3,749. April had the most (306).
| Year | Tornado | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 to Oct 19 | 127 | 617 | 252 |
| 2025 | 162 | 823 | 226 |
| 2024 | 119 | 577 | 76 |
| 2023 | 97 | 788 | 110 |
| 2022 | 62 | 585 | 164 |
| 2021 | 72 | 292 | 166 |
| 2020 | 46 | 385 | 154 |
| 2019 | 52 | 435 | 105 |
| 2018 | 66 | 573 | 148 |
| 2017 | 46 | 523 | 112 |
| 2016 | 78 | 618 | 163 |
| 2015 | 47 | 668 | 209 |
| 2014 | 95 | 508 | 101 |
| 2013 | 74 | 401 | 132 |
| 2012 | 183 | 937 | 104 |
| 2011 | 243 | 984 | 179 |
| 2010 | 89 | 583 | 157 |
| 2009 | 126 | 718 | 167 |
| 2008 | 91 | 527 | 69 |
What stands out in Kentucky
2011 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in Kentucky since 2008, with 243 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2025, with 226.
Since 2008, 24 tornado warnings and 32 flash flood warnings for Kentucky were raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency for at least part of the warned area: the Weather Service’s rarest warning, used when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.
40 severe thunderstorm warnings for Kentucky carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.
2 tornadoes in Kentucky since 1950 were rated F5 or EF5, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on April 3, 1974.
National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.
States next to Kentucky
Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.
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Kentucky tornado warnings: questions people ask
How many tornado warnings does Kentucky get a year?
About 80 a year: the National Weather Service issued 800 tornado warnings for Kentucky from 2016 to 2025, 15th of 52 states and territories.
Which Kentucky county gets the most tornado warnings?
Christian County has the most: 56 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Graves County with 50. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.
Which Kentucky city gets the most tornado warnings?
Somerset has the most among cities and towns with 10,000 people or more: the outlines of 14 tornado warnings covered its center from 2016 to 2025.
When is tornado season in Kentucky?
April and May: 41% of the 1,282 tornadoes recorded in Kentucky since 1950 came in those two months. Tornadoes have struck Kentucky in every month of the year.
About these numbers
Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed a Kentucky county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · Kentucky data (CSV)
Cite: Kinwarn. “Kentucky tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/kentucky. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.
Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts