Ballard County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Ballard County: 0.
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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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

Mapped by KY GS (2).

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Ballard$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding of the lower Ohio River occurred in mid March. The crest near 52 feet at Paducah was the highest since about 1950, and one of the worst floods on record. It was still well below the record 60-foot crest in the Flood of 1937. The President declared most western Kentucky counties along the river to be disaster areas. Widespread rainfall amounts between 8 and 13 inches upriver from Evansville to Cincinnati occurred within a three day period. This resulted in a major flood crest that took a few weeks to travel down the Ohio River. Hundreds of homes were evacuated along the western Kentucky side of the Ohio River. A county by county list of evacuations includes 200 homes…

2. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Ballard$10.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This historic, prolonged ice storm was called the biggest disaster in modern Kentucky history by the governor of Kentucky. The storm produced at least one inch of ice across western Kentucky. Locally very destructive icing around 1.5 inches occurred from the Mississippi River counties east across Paducah and Madisonville to Owensboro. This resulted in unprecedented damage to utility infrastructure in western Kentucky. One hundred percent of residents in the hardest-hit counties from the Mississippi River to Madisonville were affected by power outages. A utility company serving areas from Ballard to Livingston Counties reported that 20 percent of its system had to be rebuilt. The…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Ballard$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 80 mph caused widespread damage in western Kentucky. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event. ||Several counties reported hundreds of structures sustained roof and siding damage. Other counties reported dozens of damaged structures. The county of Crittenden alone estimated 1,500 homes sustained some degree of wind damage. Extensive tree damage occurred. Thousands of trees were uprooted and…

4. May 1, 2011Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding occurred along the Mississippi River near and below the confluence of the Ohio River. The river gages at both Cairo, Illinois and New Madrid, Missouri measured record high levels exceeding the 1937 record flood. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the evening of May 2 spared Ballard County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Mississippi River dropped suddenly. Historic flooding of the Mississippi River inundated low-lying sections of Wickliffe. A few evacuations were required, and homes were sandbagged. All main arteries into and out of Wickliffe…

5. Jan 3, 2000Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms during the early morning hours produced 3 to 5 inches of rain, which saturated the ground. Another round of storms arrived during the late afternoon, producing another inch or two of rain in an hour. These heavy rainfall rates, up to 1.3 inches in 15 minutes in Carlisle County, triggered flash flooding. Road and bridge damage was significant. Two bridges were washed out in Ballard County, including one over Kentucky 358. In the Lovelaceville area of Ballard County, a creek overflowed, threatening homes and prompting the closure of U.S. Highway 62. In Carlisle County, where seven to eight roads were closed at one point, most of the damage was to bridge pilings and…

6. Jul 19, 2023Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Historic flash flooding struck parts of far western Kentucky. Among the hardest hit counties was Graves County, which had not completely recovered from a catastrophic tornado in December of 2021. The city of Mayfield, which bore the brunt of the December 2021 tornado, experienced catastrophic flooding that inundated dozens of homes, businesses, schools, and various other institutions. The governor of Kentucky visited the city of Mayfield to tour the damage. Some smaller communities suffered catastrophic damage, such as Arlington in Carlisle County, where multiple homes were flooded. Swiftly moving water through Arlington prompted water rescues from emergency services. Widespread…

7. Apr 4, 2011Tornado$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Near Hinkleville, a man was trapped in a 60 by 80 foot farm building that was destroyed. He received four broken ribs. The roof was removed from a two-story house, and the garage was levelled. Several other homes sustained roof damage, including one with partial roof loss. Two mobile homes were overturned. Two large chicken barns about 45 feet wide by 250 yards long were destroyed, and two others were heavily damaged. Numerous farm buildings were destroyed, along with some grain bins. Dozens of large trees were snapped or uprooted. A mobile home was shifted slightly off its foundation at the end of the track along the McCracken County line. While damage was predominantly caused by…

8. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Grand Chain, Illinois river gage, the flood crest of 62.20 feet on the evening of May 2 came within two feet of the record of 64.00 feet set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Ballard County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River dropped suddenly at Grand Chain. Grand Chain is located across from Ballard County. Some homes were evacuated, primarily in areas around Oscar. The total number of flooded homes was likely between 20 and 30.

9. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Ballard$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure developed over the southern Plains, spreading widespread heavy precipitation across western Kentucky. At the same time, high pressure over the upper Ohio Valley produced a cold easterly wind flow. The result was a crippling ice storm. Around one inch of ice caused extensive damage across parts of western Kentucky, along and north of a line from Paducah to Madisonville. Many of those same areas received two to four inches of sleet and snow. Numerous trees and power lines were brought down, knocking out power to many thousands of homes. Power outages lasted up to a week. Emergency shelters were established in several counties (including Livingston, Crittenden, and…

10. May 16, 2025Hail$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Many reports and pictures of large hail came in from the town of Barlow and just south of it including the largest hailstones estimated at grapefruit size on Circle Drive east of Barlow (4.5'', public report) and just above softball size south of town on Hartman Ln (4.25'', public report). Numerous photos and reports from emergency management and the public of additional hailstones ranged from ping pong ball to baseball size. Many windows were broken as a result of these very large hailstones along with damage to gutters, roof, vehicles, and siding.

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°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−15°FJan 20, 1985

Warmest night

82°FJul 16, 1980

Coldest day

1°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

7.49 inSep 5, 1985

Snowiest day

14.0 inDec 22, 2004

Hottest year

2024mean 61.7°F

Coldest year

1958mean 55.6°F

Wettest year

201174.85 in

Driest year

196328.20 in

Snowiest season

35.7 in1977-78

Station Paducah (USW00003816), 506 ft elevation, 11.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00003816.
• 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.