Campbell County
Population 95,441 (2025) 151 sq mi
Property owners in Campbell County have filed 450 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 15th most of 120 counties in Kentucky.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 19503
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger3
- Major flood years since 19784
At a glance
The record for Campbell County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tornadoes since 1950
3
100th of 120 in Kentucky
Fewer than the typical Kentucky county, which has had 10
DetailsTropical cyclones within 50 mi
1
78th of 120 in Kentucky
None at hurricane strength since 1851
DetailsStrongest tornado
EF3
March 2, 2012, 20.4 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 39.5 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 25 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
March 2, 2012
EF3, 20.4 mile path
440 yards wide; 3 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Friday, March 2, 2012
EF3, 20.4 mile path
14 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 20.4 | 13 | 3 |
| Nov 25, 1973 | F1 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F2 | 0.1 | 8 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Campbell County: 0.
- 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
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
August 21, 1888
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
39.5 miles at closest approach, winds near 52 mph.
Most recent
October 5, 1995
Opal, Post-tropical
47.2 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 here 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
16.5 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
10 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 36 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
450 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $5.8 million paid.
Most claims in one year
1997: 194 claims
$2.5 million paid.
2nd most
1978: 29 claims
$19,000 paid.
3rd most
1979: 28 claims
$43,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 41085 | 134 | $948,000 |
| 41074 | 99 | $2.1 million |
| 41073 | 80 | $398,000 |
| 41059 | 64 | $1.2 million |
| 41007 | 27 | $467,000 |
| 41071 | 18 | $206,000 |
| 41076 | 18 | $91,000 |
| 41001 | 6 | $298,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood41
- Flood34
- Heavy Rain3
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
Most severe crest
January 24, 1937
Twelvemile Creek near Alexandria, 56.85 ft
26.85 feet above the 30.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
March 3, 1997
Twelvemile Creek near Alexandria, 53.60 ft
Major flooding.
River gauges
| Twelvemile Creek near Alexandria | 30.0 | 56.85 ft | 8 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 121 of 1,581 months since 1895 (8%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.
121
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
53
Months in extreme drought
8%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
March 1931
−6.84, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
17 months
September 1953 to January 1955.
Latest month
September 2026
+3.15, very wet
Last severe month: September 2007.
- 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
1 earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.0 in 1980.
0
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
5
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
1
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
1
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
July 27, 1980
2 km SW of Sharpsburg, Kentucky; 49.2 miles away, 6.2 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 12, 2021
Magnitude 3.0
2 km E of Manchester, Ohio; 37.3 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jul 27, 1980 | 5.0 | 49.2 |
- 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).
- 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
186
Landslides mapped, probable or better
24
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by KY GS (180), NASA (6).
- 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
380 events in the National Weather Service record, 356 of them since 1996.
26
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
3
Hail, 2 inches or larger
109
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
91
Winter weather events since 1996
8
Heat events since 1996
3
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
August 3, 2015
2.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 25, 2011
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Campbell$10.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. Gusts over 60 mph were common. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines to significant structural damage.
- Mar 2, 2012Tornado$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The tornado initially touched down in south central Campbell County at 1639 EST near Peach Grove Road and crossed Fisher Road northwest of Peach Grove. The tornado then crossed into Pendleton County at 1641 EST after producing high end EF3 damage along Reid Ridge Road near the Campbell and Pendleton County line. The tornado then moved across Mays Road producing significant and widespread EF2 to low end EF3 damage. The tornado then crossed AA highway and eventually the Ohio River, after crossing Kentucky Highway 8. Based on the damage surveyed, the maximum wind speed of the tornado was estimated to be 160 miles per hour in Campbell County and 140 miles per hour in Pendleton County.…
- Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Campbell$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Blizzard of '96 developed near the Gulf Coast and moved up the East Coast. This massive system brought the greatest snowfall from one storm to Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport, as well as the greatest 24 hour snowfall. Total snowfall from this storm at the airport was 14.3 inches, while in a typical entire season this location normally receives only 23 inches of snowfall. Many homes and business experienced partial or total roof collapses due to the weight of the snow. Road conditions remained hazardous in some locations for many days. Many people believed that this was the worst winter storm since the Blizzard of '78.
- Nov 15, 2020Strong Wind, Campbell$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
A large tree fell on three houses in Dayton. Two people suffered minor injuries. Two of the three houses were condemned as a result.
- May 10, 2003Flash Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Fifty homes were flooded with two determined to be uninhabitable. Numerous roads were closed due to high water.
- May 19, 2020Flash Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
State Route 9 was closed due to a landslide near the Wilder/Newport border.
- Aug 28, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous trees were downed along Backus Drive. A few houses sustained damage from the fallen trees.
- Jul 4, 2013Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Several basements of homes on Riddle Place in Newport were flooded due to heavy rainfall.
- Jul 28, 2016Flash Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Over 20 homes were flooded, with up to 6 feet of water in more than a dozen of the homes.
- Apr 8, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$40,000
National Weather Service narrative
Multiple homes on Johns Hill Road received damage to their roofs in the form of shingle loss.
- 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 Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field, 5.2 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1949.
- All-time high
- 105°FJul 30, 1999
- All-time low
- −22°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 80°F3 times, most recently Jul 21, 1983
- Coldest day
- −2°FJan 20, 1985
- Wettest day
- 4.73 inMar 9, 1964
- Snowiest day
- 10.0 inMar 1, 1980
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 57.9°F
- Coldest year
- 2014mean 51.9°F
- Wettest year
- 195058.96 in
- Driest year
- 198728.67 in
Station Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (USW00093812), 475 ft elevation, 5.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 24, 2026; 99.6% 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
17 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.
| 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 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4497-KY |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3469-KY |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storm | DR-4428-KY |
| Apr 26, 2018 | Flood | DR-4361-KY |
| Mar 6, 2012 | Severe Storm | DR-4057-KY |
| May 4, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1976-KY |
| Feb 5, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1818-KY |
| Jan 28, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3302-KY |
| Oct 9, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1802-KY |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3231-KY |
| Mar 4, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1163-KY |
| Jan 13, 1996 | Snowstorm | DR-1089-KY |
| Mar 16, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3104-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.
How this compares
Where Campbell County stands among 120 counties in Kentucky and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 3 | 100 / 120 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 1 | 55 / 120 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 1 | 78 / 120 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance claims | 450 | 15 / 120 |
| Flood insurance paid | $5.8 million | 23 / 120 |
| Disaster declarations | 17 | 116 / 120 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 78 | 48 / 120 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 175 | 66 / 120 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 91 | 36 / 120 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $12.8 million | 48 / 120 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 8 | 13 / 120 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 121 | 72 / 120 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 16.5 | 11 / 120 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 1 | 76 / 120 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 0 | — |
Neighbouring counties
| Clermont County OH | 26 | 1 |
| Hamilton County OH | 18 | 0 |
| Kenton County | 12 | 1 |
| Pendleton County | 9 | 1 |
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 USW00093812.
- 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.