Heat in Kentucky

Events

1,460

Deaths

9

Injuries

209

Damage

None recorded

• Heat in Kentucky, July 21 to 26, 200569 injured · 22 eventsSeveral days of excessive heat and humidity caused a significant increase in heat-related illnesses. A 46-year-old construction worker from Livingston County suffered a heart attack in which heat was a factor, but heat was not the direct cause of death.
• Heat in Kentucky, September 9, 200065 injured · 1 eventDuring a band festival at the Boyd County High School, 65 people were overcome by the heat and humidity of a late summer afternoon. The temperature was in the lower 80s, with the dew point in the 70 to 72 degree range. The sun was shining.
• Heat in Kentucky, August 5 to 9, 200745 injured · 22 eventsSurface high pressure located over the Deep South remained nearly stationary. A persistent hot and humid southwest wind flow around this high brought an extended period of dangerously high heat indices, ranging from 105 to 110 degrees on several afternoons.
• Heat in Kentucky, June 10, 20072 deaths · 1 eventTwo children died as a result of being trapped in the trunk of a car in Laurel County. The cause of death was hyperthermia. High temperatures were in the mid 80s, however temperatures inside an automobile can be much higher than the air temperature outside.
• Heat in Kentucky, June 22 to 29, 19981 death · 22 eventsTemperatures exceeded 90 degrees for at least 7 consecutive days. High humidity resulted in excessive heat indicies approaching 110 degrees. Heat was blamed for the death of a 47-year-old Daviess County man who was mowing the lawn during the late afternoon.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 18 to 31, 19991 death · 22 eventsExcessive heat and humidity during the latter half of July took a toll on the unprepared. In Hopkinsville, a 75-year-old man died in his home as a result of hyperthermia.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 20 to 31, 19991 death · 12 eventsThe latter part of July was excessively hot across northern Kentucky with nearly every day above 90 and a few days above 100. Dewpoints and overnight lows through the period were in the 70s. One heat related death occurred in northern Kentucky.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 22, 20171 death · 1 injured · 1 eventA period of hot and humid weather settled over the middle Ohio River Valley during the middle of July. Temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s combined with dew points in the mid to upper 70s led to heat index values in the upper 90s and lower 100s.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 20 to 21, 20081 death · 2 eventsHot and humid conditions prevailed as a large upper-level ridge of high pressure covered the south central United States. On the 21st, the heat index peaked between 105 and 110 degrees for a few hours at Henderson and Owensboro.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 6, 20121 death · 1 eventAn extended period of excessive heat, which began on June 28th, continued through July 7th. During the period, the official high temperature at Standiford Field in Louisville exceeded 100 degrees 9 times within a 10 day period.
• Heat in Kentucky, August 1, 20191 death · 1 eventHeat indices topping out in the low to mid 90s from early to mid afternoon led to a 2 year old toddler passing away from hyperthermia as she climbed into a vehicle for an extended period of time.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 22 to 24, 201011 injured · 22 eventsA large upper level high remained stationary from the Tennessee Valley to the Carolinas. Heat and humidity built to dangerous levels near this strong and persistent high.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 19 to 24, 20115 injured · 32 eventsA large and strong high in the upper levels of the atmosphere drifted slowly east from the central Plains across the Lower Ohio Valley.
• Heat in Kentucky, June 20 to 23, 20107 injured · 11 eventsHigh temperatures reached the mid to upper 90's during this four-day streak of high heat indices. Along and northwest of a line from Owensboro to Murray, high humidity produced heat indices locally around 105 degrees on some afternoons.
• Heat in Kentucky, July 19 to 21, 20064 injured · 22 eventsAfternoon heat indices rose to 105 degrees or more across western Kentucky for up to three consecutive afternoons. At Paducah, the heat index peaked at 105 degrees on all three afternoons from the 19th to the 21st.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 1 to 5, 201844 eventsThe prolonged period of hazardous heat and humidity that began on June 29th persisted through the first several days of July. The most dangerous heat index values occurred on July 5th, when afternoon heat indices peaked from 110 to 115 degrees.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, August 1 to 3, 20111 injured · 31 eventsA large and strong high in the upper levels of the atmosphere remained centered over the south central United States. The strength and size of the high brought excessive heat as far northeast as the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-Mississippi Valley.
• Heat in Kentucky, August 26 to 27, 20032 injured · 22 eventsSummer heat and humidity resulted in at least a couple cases of heat exhaustion. Afternoon high temperatures reached the mid 90's with peak heat indices near 105 degrees.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, August 14 to 19, 202529 eventsBroad high pressure over the middle Mississippi River Valley resulted in temperatures surging to the mid-to-upper 90s with dew points in the mid 70s, yielding heat indices around 105-110 mainly from the 16th-19th in Western Kentucky with some locally higher values, mainly in the…
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 22 to 30, 202529 eventsAn extended heat wave across the Quad State region occurred from mid to late July. On the synoptic scale, at 500mb, a 594dam ridge was present across the Southeast U.S., with the ridge building northward to include the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes by July 22nd-23rd.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 10 to 14, 201828 eventsSeveral days of oppressive heat and humidity were experienced across parts of west Kentucky. The extreme western end of the state was impacted the most. From Paducah south and west, heat indices peaked in the triple digits on five consecutive days.
• Heat in Kentucky, August 11, 201027 eventsNumerous locations experienced highs between 93 and 97 and heat indices around 100 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours of August 11th.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 27 to 29, 202327 eventsA heat wave brought three consecutive days of heat indices near or above 105 degrees. Excessive heat occurred over the Henderson/Owensboro region on the afternoons of the 27th and 28th, when heat indices peaked mostly from 109 to 115 degrees.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Kentucky, July 16 to 22, 202527 eventsAn extended heat wave across the Quad State region occurred from mid to late July. On the synoptic scale, at 500mb, a 594dam ridge was present across the Southeast U.S., with the ridge building northward to include the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes by July 22nd-23rd.
• Heat in Kentucky, August 10, 201026 eventsA very large and strong area of high pressure brought a heat wave to eastern Kentucky on August 10th. During the afternoon and evening hours on this day, high temperatures in numerous locations soared to between 93 and 98 degrees, with heat index values around 100 degrees.

Heat everywhereEvery kind of event in Kentucky

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.