Caldwell County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Caldwell County: 4.
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.

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 (9), NASA (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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Caldwell$12.2 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…

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Caldwell$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…

3. May 16, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An NWS damage survey found straight line wind damage associated with winds of 80 to 93 mph impacted Princeton, KY, on the evening of Friday, May 16, 2025. The most severe damage occurred in downtown Princeton, where a business lost its roof and several homes suffered minor to major damage due to trees falling onto homes. Numerous large tree limbs were downed across the city. Emergency management also reported power poles snapped, a tree fell onto a house on U.S. 62 on the west side of Princeton, while another tree falling onto a house on W Green St, destroying it.

4. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Caldwell$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…

5. May 26, 2024Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado (max of EF-2 in Caldwell County) began northeast of Eddyville in Lyon County before crossing into Caldwell County near Pleasant Valley Rd. The tornado tracked east-northeastward through the entirety of Caldwell County, crossing over into Hopkins County north of I-69 and south of Young Cemetery Rd. The tornado briefly weakened northwest of Princeton. It then strengthened producing EF-2 damage north of Princeton near KY-293 N, blowing apart a manufactured home. Additional structures, trees, and power lines were damaged in Caldwell County. For Caldwell County, 4 people were injured and one person (54m, indirect) suffered a heart attack while cleaning up debris the…

6. Oct 18, 2007Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. Trees landed across roads. At least a half dozen small barns were destroyed. Several roofs were lifted and torn off houses. Major structural damage was reported to seven homes. Windows were broken in houses. Peak winds were estimated near 110 mph. The damage path ended very close to the boundary of the Pennyrile State Forest.

7. May 1, 2011Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flooding continued from April into May across western Kentucky. Following excessive rain in April, a final dose of heavy rain came between April 30 and May 2. Numerous rounds of showers and thunderstorms produced additional average rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches, which caused isolated flash flooding. Between 9 and 22 inches of rain fell across the region between April 22 and May 3. Most creeks and streams flooded for an extended period of time. Some of the flooding was major. Numerous roads were flooded and closed, including some major state roads such as U.S. Highways 62, 60, and 51. Some schools delayed or cancelled classes due to the large number of flooded roads.…

8. Feb 23, 2018Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   U.S. Highway 62 was restricted to one lane due to a landslide near the Hopkins County line.

9. Nov 17, 2013Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large metal building sustained partial loss of the roof and a wall. Several power poles were snapped. The porch was lifted up from the front of a house. Several homes and businesses sustained partial shingle loss. Dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. The Western Kentucky Parkway was shut down in Princeton after a large power transmission line fell onto the roadway near a sub-station. Peak winds were estimated near 100 mph. The maximum intensity of the tornado was at the Western Kentucky Parkway interchange with Kentucky Route 91 in Princeton.

10. Apr 26, 2011Flash Flood$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The drainage system of the city of Princeton was overwhelmed by torrential rain. Sections of up to 25 streets were shut down. Residents in some of the hardest-hit areas evacuated. A few homes and businesses were affected.

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

105°F7 times, most recently Jun 29, 2012

All-time low

−23°FFeb 2, 1951

Warmest night

87°FAug 2, 1982

Coldest day

1°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

10.25 inMar 2, 1997

Snowiest day

19.0 inMar 5, 2015

Hottest year

2024mean 62.0°F

Coldest year

1960mean 55.3°F

Wettest year

201568.92 in

Driest year

196326.29 in

Snowiest season

40.0 in1977-78

Station Madisonville (USC00155067), 425 ft elevation, 24.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 18, 2026; 94.9% 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 USC00155067.
• 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.