Flash Flood in Kentucky
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Kentucky, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in Kentucky.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 4,580
- Deaths
- 113
- Injuries
- 31
- Damage
- $308 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, July 27 to 30, 2022Between July 25th and July 30th, 2022, several complexes of training thunderstorms developed south of I-64 and brought heavy rain, deadly flash flooding, and devastating river flooding to eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, March 2 to 3, 2012During the afternoon and evening hours of March 2nd, 2012, an historic tornado outbreak occurred in eastern Kentucky. Tornadoes struck Menifee, Morgan, Bath, Wolfe, Laurel, Johnson and Martin Counties causing a combined 16 deaths in those counties.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, December 10 to 11, 2021Strong southern winds brought warm temperatures and plenty of moisture into an environment of strong wind shear ahead of an advancing cold front.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 16 to 17, 2025Eastern Kentucky experienced multiple rounds of severe weather from May 16th into the early morning hours of May 17th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, February 5 to 6, 2008A cold front along with a strong upper level low produced a squall line that crossed central Kentucky. This set off widespread severe weather, and spawned several tornadoes.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, February 15 to 17, 2025A strong storm system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on February 15th and 16th, 2025, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding, severe weather, and winter weather to central Kentucky.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 2 to 6, 2025On the night of April 2nd, 2025, a cold front approached the lower Ohio Valley. Along and ahead of the cold front, numerous supercells developed over southern Illinois and western Kentucky.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, July 13, 2015Round one of what would be three rounds of severe weather inside of a 36 hour period began during the early afternoon hours as a thunderstorm complex raced southeastward across eastern Kentucky.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 26 to 27, 2024The second major severe weather outbreak for the month occurred on the 26th for the Quad State region. On the synoptic scale, a shortwave trough centered in the middle of the country with a 60 kt mid-level jet moved across northern Arkansas.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 16, 2010A stalled cold front over the Mississippi Valley spawned thunderstorms producing heavy rain from northern Mississippi through middle Tennessee and central Kentucky into southern Indiana.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, February 24 to 25, 2011A powerful mid-level shortwave trough ejected east-northeast across the southern Plains, reaching the lower and mid Mississippi Valley during the night.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, September 22 to 23, 2006Some streets were flooded. Some were closed and impassable.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 8, 2009A long-lived bow echo that had produced widespread wind damage over southern Illinois moved east into Kentucky during the late morning hours.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 17 to 18, 2010An isolated severe thunderstorm blew down trees in Montgomery county during the predawn hours of July 17th. The more significant event, however, occurred during the later afternoon and evening hours in Pike county.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, June 25 to 28, 2026Multiple rounds of storms occurred June 26-28th, 2026 resulting in significant flash flooding over southern Indiana and central Kentucky as well as an EF-0 tornado.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, May 27 to 28, 2004Several trees were knocked down.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, December 21 to 23, 2013A deep trough embedded within the southern stream of the jet combined with unseasonably rich moisture to bring widespread flooding and a regional severe weather outbreak to the Lower Ohio Valley during the afternoon and evening of December 21st.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, February 20 to 21, 2014A strong cold front that moved across eastern Kentucky brought severe weather to the area on February 20th and 21st. Numerous trees were felled across the forecast area by thunderstorm wind gusts. Heavy rain also lead to isolated flooding issues for a few locations.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Kentucky, February 15 to 17, 2025Significant flash flooding occurred over west Kentucky, as anomalously high amounts of low-level moisture streamed northward over a warm front that became stationary along the Tennessee border.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, February 20 to 28, 2019Periods of rain worked back into eastern Kentucky early on February 20 as a warm frontal boundary lifted north across the Commonwealth.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 10, 2003A warm front stalled along the Ohio River, providing the focus for several clusters of thunderstorms to move across northern Kentucky during the early morning, lasting into the afternoon. Rainfall amounts from the thunderstorms generally ranged from three to five inches.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, August 22, 2003Thunderstorms crossed central Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of Friday August 22. They produced heavy rains and high winds over the area, with some reports of structural damage.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, February 24 to 25, 2018An outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occurred across western Kentucky. Most of the severe weather was along and south of a Paducah to Madisonville line. North of that line, serious flash flooding resulted in a fatality.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 10, 2016An outbreak of supercells with large hail and isolated tornadoes affected western Kentucky during the afternoon and early evening. The initial round of thunderstorms occurred early in the afternoon over northwest Kentucky.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 27 to 28, 2004Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.