Crittenden County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Crittenden$11.2 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. Jan 3, 2000Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Although the tornado tracked about 15 miles through the county with estimated top winds of 160 MPH, damage was relatively light due to the rural nature of the land. Based on aerial surveys, structures that were heavily damaged or destroyed included 85 homes, 5 to 10 businesses, and 50 to 80 barns and outbuildings. Three people in the Crayne area were transported to a hospital for non life-threatening injuries. About 35 National Guard personnel were deployed to Crittenden County, primarily for damage assessment and security operations. An emergency shelter was opened to accomodate roughly 25 homeless persons.

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Crittenden$4.2 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. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Crittenden$1.5 million
   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 10, 2003Flash Flood$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding caused by torrential thunderstorm downpours forced the closure of U.S. Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 641 in Marion for about 45 minutes. Part of First Street was impassable after a culvert was pushed out of place, causing tree limbs to flow under the asphalt and push up through it. Several businesses reported minor to moderate water damage. The county high school and the county courthouse sustained minor flooding damage. Floodwaters along U.S. Highway 60 swept a man's parked car into a nearby creek. A 500-gallon propane tank behind a house floated away. Substantial damage such as washed out culverts was reported on at least a dozen rural roads. The Sheridan area received…

6. Nov 6, 2005Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down one quarter mile west of Highway 654 and moved rapidly east-northeast. A mobile home on Highway 654 was overturned and destroyed, injuring a 12-year-old boy. A house roof was blown off. Where the tornado crossed Highway 365, a two-story home was completely demolished. The home exterior was mainly vinyl with some brick. Three persons in the house were injured. Two of the injured were treated and released, but a third person was critically injured and transferred to an Evansville hospital. The tornado was estimated to be at its strongest near Highway 365, with peak winds of 160 MPH. A small boat was carried about 400 yards, and several vehicles were moved.…

7. May 1, 2011Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. Based on data from river gages in nearby Pope and Gallatin Counties in Illinois, the flood crest of 2011 was two to three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still 6 to 9 feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Crittenden County from an even higher crest that would have inundated even larger areas of the county. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly. The community of Tolu was evacuated, and water was halfway up the windows of a house in…

8. May 3, 2010Flash Flood$270,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Cumberland River rose rapidly as releases from Barkley Dam were increased to record levels. About a dozen residences were flooded in Dycusburg, and others were evacuated because they were isolated by floodwaters. The community that was primarily affected was Dycusburg. Water was two to three feet deep in some homes. There was extensive flooding of fields and woods. A few roads were closed, including State Route 295 at Dycusburg.

9. Aug 4, 2009Hail$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A swath of large hail affected much of the county. Quarter-size hail fell in Marion. Golf-ball size hail fell in Crayne. Significant hail damage occurred in Crayne, where mobile homes were riddled with holes. Windows were broken, and vehicles were damaged. Roofs and siding of houses were heavily damaged. A dozen or more homes suffered damage. Corn and soybean fields were badly damaged.

10. Sep 25, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The dust collector on top of a feed mill was blown off, leaving behind a large hole in the roof. A metal roof was torn off a shed behind a hardware store. The shed roof was deposited in trees. Both the feed mill and shed sustained water damage due to rainwater. Shingles were torn off roofs around town. Trees and limbs were blown down across the city, resulting in power outages. A tree limb struck a porch on a trailer. Signs were blown over.

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

106°FJun 30, 2012

All-time low

−16°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°F2 times, most recently Jul 12, 2011

Coldest day

2°FDec 23, 1989

Wettest day

5.55 inJul 7, 2016

Snowiest day

14.0 inDec 23, 2004

Hottest year

2024mean 59.9°F

Coldest year

1997mean 53.7°F

Wettest year

199062.19 in

Driest year

198734.77 in

Snowiest season

15.1 in1993-94

Station Smithland L&d (USC00118020), 357 ft elevation, 21.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1981 to October 27, 2026; 94.7% 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 USC00118020.
• 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.
• 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.