Heavy Rain in Kentucky

Events

744

Deaths

3

Injuries

6

Damage

$976,000

• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, July 27 to 30, 202240 deaths · $35,000 · 30 eventsBetween 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.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 16, 20104 deaths · 1 injured · $5.8 million · EF0 · 86 eventsA 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, 20114 deaths · $1.0 million · EF2 · 31 eventsA powerful mid-level shortwave trough ejected east-northeast across the southern Plains, reaching the lower and mid Mississippi Valley during the night.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 8, 20092 deaths · 17 injured · $90,000 · EF3 · 27 eventsA 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 Flooding in Kentucky, February 20 to 28, 20192 deaths · 1 injured · $1.1 million · 85 eventsPeriods of rain worked back into eastern Kentucky early on February 20 as a warm frontal boundary lifted north across the Commonwealth.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, August 21, 20132 deaths · 3 injured · $79,000 · 1.75 in hail · 11 eventsA well defined and progressive nearly cutoff low was positioned over east central Indiana during the afternoon of August 21st.
• Flash Flood and Debris Flows in Kentucky, February 5 to 9, 20201 death · $16 million · 28 eventsBeginning on February 3rd, numerous rounds of rainfall began to impact eastern Kentucky. This continued through February 7th, highlighted by heavy rainfall from the evening of February 5th through the first half of February 6th.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, June 19 to 20, 20111 death · $5.3 million · 65 kt wind · 46 eventsDuring the overnight and early morning hours of Monday, June 20th, numerous strong to severe thunderstorms wreaked havoc on portions of eastern KY. Between 2 and 5 am EDT, numerous trees were blown across Laurel, Bell, Knox, and Whitley counties.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, April 4, 20119 injured · $3.0 million · EF2 · 15 eventsThunderstorms gradually intensified along and ahead of a cold front from Arkansas into western Kentucky.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 3 to 6, 20081 death · $490,000 · EF1 · 25 eventsA warm front moved slowly north across western Kentucky during the afternoon. Large clusters of thunderstorms produced very heavy rain. A cold front moved southeast into the Lower Ohio Valley during the night, preceded by more thunderstorms.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kentucky, February 29, 20128 injured · $540,000 · EF2 · 35 eventsA squall line with embedded sustained supercells entered western Kentucky early in the morning. The embedded supercells raced east-northeast at 60 to 70 mph, while the line moved southeast at a slower rate.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Kentucky, April 11, 20081 injured · $2.0 million · EF2 · 30 eventsA slow moving cold front approached the area during the afternoon hours of April 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. The storms first moved into Eastern Kentucky shortly before 2 PM EDT. These storms affected the areas near Monticello and Somerset.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 3, 2010$1.4 million · EF2 · 45 eventsA surface cold front extended from the Chicago area southwestward across the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metro area to a weak low pressure center over southeast Missouri.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 10, 2016$330,000 · EF2 · 75 eventsA warm moist air mass collided with several passing weather systems to spark rounds of strong to severe storms across central Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours on May 10th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23 to 24, 20112 injured · $2.2 million · EF2 · 14 eventsBands of thunderstorms developed along a surface cold front extending from northern Arkansas northeastward along the Ohio River. Relatively strong diurnal heating occurred south of the front, where mixed-layer cape values increased to around 1500 j/kg.
• Lightning Strike and Heavy Rain in Kentucky, August 31, 20181 death · $200,000 · 2 eventsScattered showers and storms developed in the afternoon over central Kentucky. This weather was triggered by an upper level shortwave pushing in from the southwest and a weak surface boundary over south central Kentucky that was drifting northward.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, August 31, 20131 death · $83,000 · 63 kt wind · 16 eventsNorthwest flow aloft was well established over the Lower Ohio Valley during the morning hours on August 31st. Just above the surface, light southwesterly winds brought modified Gulf moisture across the Commonwealth and southern Indiana.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 2 to 7, 2010$71,000 · EF2 · 81 eventsA multiple lines and clusters of intense showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought a variety of severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 2nd and 3rd.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, August 4, 2009$45 million · 61 kt wind · 37 eventsTwo rounds of severe weather moved through central Kentucky on August 4th. The first produced torrential rainfall in the Louisville Metro area with up to seven inches of rain falling in around two hours time.
• Winter Storm and Flood in Kentucky, February 20 to 25, 20151 death · 3 injured · $8,000 · 27 eventsA winter storm brought hazardous conditions to western Kentucky. South of the Henderson/Owensboro area, the precipitation type was primarily heavy sleet and snow at the beginning of the storm, then freezing rain became the primary precipitation type.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 28, 20151 death · $85,000 · 56 kt wind · 6 eventsA mesoscale convective system moved southwestward across western Kentucky. The slow movement of the thunderstorm complex resulted in isolated flash flooding.
• Flood and Hail in Kentucky, April 29 to 30, 20141 death · $32,000 · 3 in hail · 5 eventsRain showers began on the 28th. Showers and thunderstorms were common late on the 28th into the morning of the 29th. Along a nearly stationary front, thunderstorms reformed during the mid afternoon over eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia on the 29th.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, January 1 to 2, 2022$1.1 million · EF1 · 61 eventsThe second warmest December on record for Eastern Kentucky finished with a warm and moist air mass in place on New Year's Eve.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, September 25, 2011$330,000 · EF2 · 11 eventsA surface low pressure center moved northeast from eastern Arkansas, passing across northwest Tennessee and into western Kentucky. A closed 500 mb low was centered over the Mid-Mississippi Valley.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, January 12 to 13, 2013$208,000 · EF2 · 11 eventsDuring the afternoon, a supercell thunderstorm developed along a quasi-stationary front that extended from southwest to northeast along the Lower Ohio River Valley.

Heavy Rain 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.