Paris

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Flood insurance figures are for Bourbon County, the county that contains Paris.

Claims by ZIP code

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.

River crests

River gauges in Bourbon County, the county that contains Paris.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Bourbon County, the county that contains Paris.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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.
2. 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 Bourbon County.

Mapped by KY GS (1).

1. 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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 1, 1997Flood, Bourbon$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding occurred all along the Licking River basin as 24 hour rainfall amounts beginning early March 1 totaled from 6 to 10 inches. Stoner Creek at Paris crested at a record 30.0 feet (flood stage is 18 feet) at 5 am est on March 2. The Licking River at Cynthiana crested at a record 28.0 feet (flood stage is 20 feet) at 530 pm est on March 2. The Licking River at Blue Licks Spring crested at a record 47.6 feet (flood stage is 25 feet) at 7 pm est on March 2. The towns of Blue Licks Spring, Cynthiana and Paris all received major flooding with many homes and businesses under water. All of these counties were declared federal disaster areas and received federal aid. A 66 year…

2. Feb 15, 2003Ice Storm, Bourbon$800,000
   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…

3. Mar 1, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The NWS conducted a storm survey in northern Bourbon County and determined two concentrated areas of straight line wind damage. The first area was along the 700 to 800 block of Ruddles Mill Road. Several barns sustained significant damage with debris being thrown 1000 yards east. Several trees were split or uprooted. Most of the barns that sustained damage were on hilly surfaces. At Hillcroft Farm, 1818 Millersburg Road, a large metal barn sustained significant roofing damage. Further south on Highway 68 at Alder Nest Farms, a roof on a metal barn collapsed. During the survey, sporadic tree damage could be seen along Highway 68 and 27. The duration of the thunderstorm wind event…

4. May 2, 2010Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Stoner Creek at Paris crested around 26.2 feet at noon EST on May 3. Flood stage at Paris is 18 feet. Major flooding occurs at this level, with water entering homes and businesses.

5. Oct 7, 2014Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down near Vine Street. Several|homes sustained significant damage including losses to portions of|roofs and damage to walls and siding. The tornado had winds of|100 mph on Vine Street and a narrow width of around 50 yards. Half|dollar size hail also occurred. One woman at 1129 Vine Street was sucked out of the house and landed on the porch. She sustained an injury requiring several stitches. Multiple trees and power lines were downed as well. Several trees fell on homes. The|tornado then lifted east of Vine Street for approximately one mile.||The tornado touched down again on the east side of the Stoner Creek|Country Club where it caused tree damage. It…

6. Dec 21, 2013Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey confirmed that an EF-1 tornado was embedded within a severe squall line that brought widespread damage to northern Bourbon County. An area of concentrated damage was surveyed along Colville and Steele Ford Roads as well as Endicott Lane. Along these roads several large barns and outbuildings were either destroyed or heavily damaged. EF-1 damage was confirmed along Endicott Lane as some well-anchored barn footers were lifted up and thrown 75 yards. Several residents also reported a loud roar within torrential rain as the line of storms passed.

7. Apr 4, 2008Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Stoner Creek at Paris crested at 23.5 feet around 1005 PM EST on April 4. Flood stage at Paris is 18 feet. Moderate flooding occurs at this level, with water entering some homes below the water plant. Parts of the city park are flooded. The hardest hit areas were Sandy Bottoms, Houston Avenue, and the Garrard Park area, where water entered the lower levels of some homes.

8. Sep 23, 2006Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Stoner Creek at Paris crested at 22.1 feet around 1 AM EST on September 24. Flood stage at Paris is 18 feet. Moderate flooding occurs at this level. Water enters some homes below the water plant. Parts of the city park are flooded.

9. Apr 3, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The county Emergency Manager reported roof damage to multiple homes due to thunderstorms.

10. Aug 16, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A barn collapsed near Paris. Tree damage was also reported.

1. 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.

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

Station Lexington Bluegrass Airport (USW00093820), 962 ft elevation, 21.7 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.

Declarations for Bourbon County.

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.

• 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.