Lawrenceburg
Population 12,329 (2025)
88 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Lawrenceburg since 1950, 5 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on October 19, 2025.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195088
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger3
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Anderson County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Anderson County.
Strongest tornado
F4
April 3, 1974, 79.4 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 5.7 miles away
Tornadoes
About one tornado a year since 1950, 5 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 3, 1974
F4, 79.4 mile path
10 yards wide; 4 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Sunday, October 19, 2025
EF1, 0.7 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Oct 19, 2025 | EF1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 2025 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 30, 2025 | EF1 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| May 7, 2023 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF1 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF1 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2022 | EF1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2022 | EF1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2022 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2022 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 6, 2021 | EF1 | 0.2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec 6, 2021 | EF1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 23, 2012 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 17, 2012 | EF1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF0 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF1 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF1 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF1 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF0 | 0.6 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 19, 2005 | F0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 7.0 | 8 | 1 |
| Nov 9, 2000 | F1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 9, 2000 | F1 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 20, 2000 | F1 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 20, 2000 | F1 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 |
| May 13, 1998 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 30.0 | 10 | 0 |
| May 5, 1996 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 1.0 | 8 | 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 14, 1995 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 13, 1995 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 14, 1993 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 14, 1993 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 1992 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 1992 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 1992 | F1 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 1990 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1987 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1987 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 3.5 | 20 | 0 |
| Sep 14, 1984 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 26, 1984 | F2 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 20, 1982 | F2 | 20.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 20, 1982 | F2 | 1.0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jul 2, 1980 | F1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 2, 1980 | F1 | 6.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 10, 1980 | F0 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 12, 1979 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1979 | F2 | 33.8 | 7 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1979 | F1 | 19.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 10.0 | 20 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 16.2 | 10 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 79.4 | 122 | 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 37.9 | 81 | 3 |
| Mar 29, 1974 | F2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F2 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 18, 1971 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F2 | 3.3 | 3 | 0 |
| May 14, 1967 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F2 | 2.7 | 8 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 49.3 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 12, 1964 | F1 | 4.9 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 21, 1963 | F2 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 20, 1951 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20, 1950 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
2 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
August 21, 1888
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
5.7 miles at closest approach, winds near 52 mph.
Most recent
September 27, 2024
Helene, Remnant low
61.3 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 52 days
Heavy smoke on 12 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
14.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
10 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 34 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
59 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $1.4 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Anderson County, the county that contains Lawrenceburg.
Most claims in one year
2010: 9 claims
$154,000 paid.
2nd most
2025: 8 claims
$788,000 paid.
3rd most
1997: 7 claims
$46,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 40342 | 46 | $853,000 |
| 40372 | 13 | $524,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood23
- Flood12
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 163 of 1,581 months since 1895 (10%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.
The drought index is for Anderson County, the county that contains Lawrenceburg.
163
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
64
Months in extreme drought
10%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
January 1931
−6.60, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
17 months
July 1930 to November 1931.
Latest month
September 2026
+1.84, slightly wet
Last severe month: March 2009.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
13 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1974; none reached magnitude 4.
4
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
June 4, 1974
Magnitude 3.2
8 km ESE of Bromley, Kentucky; 39.8 miles away, 9.3 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 28, 2025
Magnitude 3.1
11 km ENE of Lancaster, Kentucky; 35.4 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Anderson County.
8
Landslides mapped, probable or better
1
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by KY GS (8).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
247 events in the National Weather Service record for Anderson County, 208 of them since 1996.
32
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
89
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
33
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
5
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 31, 1982
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
August 22, 2003
92 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Feb 15, 2003Ice Storm, Anderson$2.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
Light to occasionally moderate freezing rain began on the evening of the 15th, and continued through the evening of the 16th. Reports of ice accumulations of an inch were common along and north of Interstate 64, from Frankfort to Winchester. The hardest hit areas were in and around the cities of Frankfort and Lexington, where up to an inch and a quarter of ice accumulation was observed. A 78 year old male in Lawrenceburg in Anderson County died of injuries sustained when he was struck by a falling, ice covered, tree limb. After the storm, it is estimated that nearly 125,000 residents were without power for up to five days or more. Most of the property damage was reported in the…
- May 28, 1996Tornado$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Another tornado, from the supercell that caused extensive damageacross Bullitt county, was formed near Fox Creek. It moved south of Lawrenceburg. Along Route 513 near the intersection of the Blue Grass Parkway and Route 127, 13 homes and several barns were damaged. 4 homes were destroyed. The worst damage was in the Gilbert's Creek road area 5 miles south of Lawrenceburg. A number of trees were snapped off. Damage was also noted near a car dealership in the same area. One women was injured by flying glass. The storm was an F2 on the Fujita scale. The tornado continued into Woodford county but weakened to an F0 as it did some damage to trees and limbs along Lillards Ferry Road. The…
- Mar 2, 1997Flood, Anderson$360,000
National Weather Service narrative
Record to near record rainfall from early March 1 through March 2 caused the highest flooding on the Kentucky River at Frankfort since 1937 with the river cresting at 45.2 feet at 1 pm est March 3 (flood stage is 31 feet). Meanwhile, further south where rain totals were not as high, the flooding was only minor. The river at Highbridge crested at 37.4 feet at 7 pm est March 2 (flood stage is 30 feet). At Ford, the river only reached 27.1 feet at 8 pm est March 5 (flood stage is 26 feet). Numerous rescues were made during both the flash flooding and the flooding along the Kentucky River. The flooding was particularly bad along Elkhorn Creek in Franklin county where many two-story…
- May 2, 2010Flood$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Six to seven inches of rain fell over Anderson county from May 1-2. This caused major flooding on the Kentucky River that lasted many days before receding.
- Apr 4, 2008Flash Flood$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Six homes had water under the floor. Two homes had water on the main floor. One water rescue was conducted with no injuries.
- Feb 6, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Thunderstorm winds collapsed barns. Vehicles in the barns were damaged. Trees were downed.
- Aug 22, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
National Weather Service narrative
A barn was destroyed, and roofs were blown off several outbuildings. Tobacco crops were damaged all across the county.
- Jun 18, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Anderson County Emergency Manager reported that straight-line winds caused a roof to be blown off of a daycare facility. Also, there was structural damage to another nearby business reported.
- Apr 3, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Several trees were downed across the county, including one blocking the intersection of Highway 44 and Anderson City Road. A building under construction in Lawrenceburg was damaged.
- Apr 3, 2015Flash Flood$30,000
National Weather Service narrative
Emergency Management reported several roads closed due to high water across the county. Also, numerous water rescues occurred due to the excessive rainfall. Between 5 and 6 inches of rain fell across the county.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Lexington Bluegrass Airport, 16 miles from the city centre, with records from 1872.
- All-time high
- 108°F2 times, most recently Jul 15, 1936
- All-time low
- −21°FJan 24, 1963
- Warmest night
- 83°FJul 8, 1874
- Coldest day
- −3°F2 times, most recently Jan 12, 1918
- Wettest day
- 8.04 inAug 2, 1932
- Snowiest day
- 13.4 inJan 26, 1943
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 59.8°F
- Coldest year
- 1917mean 52.3°F
- Wettest year
- 201871.98 in
- Driest year
- 193024.89 in
- Snowiest season
- 55.4 in1916-17
Median first snow
November 27
Earliest: October 19, 1972
Median last snow
March 22
Latest: May 20, 1894
0 of 137 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Lexington Bluegrass Airport (USW00093820), 962 ft elevation, 16.0 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1872 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
25 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.
Declarations for Anderson County.
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3633-KY |
| Apr 24, 2025 | Severe Storm | DR-4864-KY |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storm | EM-3626-KY |
| Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | EM-3624-KY |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | DR-4848-KY |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | DR-4702-KY |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Flood | DR-4595-KY |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4497-KY |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3469-KY |
| May 12, 2015 | Flood | DR-4218-KY |
| Apr 30, 2015 | Snowstorm | DR-4216-KY |
| May 4, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1976-KY |
| May 11, 2010 | Severe Storm | DR-1912-KY |
| Feb 5, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1818-KY |
| Jan 28, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3302-KY |
| May 19, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1757-KY |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3231-KY |
| Jun 3, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1471-KY |
| Mar 14, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1454-KY |
| Mar 4, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1163-KY |
| Jan 13, 1996 | Snowstorm | DR-1089-KY |
| Mar 16, 1994 | Snowstorm | DR-1018-KY |
| Feb 24, 1989 | Flood | DR-821-KY |
| Dec 12, 1978 | Flood | DR-568-KY |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | DR-420-KY |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00093820.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.