Fulton County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fulton County: 1.
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 (15).

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, Fulton$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…

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Fulton$3.6 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. Aug 4, 2023Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurring in Hickman. Numerous roads were closed or impassable. Five homes in Hickman were evacuated due to flash flooding. Numerous streets remained closed through the morning. An area along Kentucky 94 in the downtown Hickman area was blocked for several days where a mudslide occurred, taking trees with it. Kentucky 125 was blocked near the Hickman city limits. The Fulton County mesonet site located two miles east of Hickman observed 11.28 of rain in 33 hours from 3 AM August 3rd through 12 noon August 4th. This broke the previous 2-day rainfall record for Fulton County, which was 9.80 back on January 1-2, 1966. The 24-hour record also was shattered,…

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

   Record flooding occurred on the Mississippi River. At the New Madrid, Missouri river gage, the flood crest of 48.35 feet on the night of May 5 broke the previous record (set in 1937) by a few inches. Historic flooding of the Mississippi River severely tested the strength of levees and floodwalls protecting Hickman. Numerous sand boils formed, but the levees remain intact. The bottomlands in the Hickman area were evacuated, and Kentucky Highway 94 was closed in many areas.

5. Mar 9, 2017Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado quickly developed over the city of Hickman and moved southeast across Fulton County. This was the second of two tornadoes in Fulton County. In the center of Hickman, the tornado caused significant damage to the county's jail and 911 communications center, which lost parts of the roof and a section of a wall. About 100 inmates were moved to other facilities. Other damage in Hickman included a heavily damaged gas station, numerous downed signs and power poles, and considerable roof damage to a few homes. The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 45 homes and other buildings in the county, as well as several machine sheds, barns, grain bins, and irrigation systems. At…

6. Sep 23, 2006Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The first major flood in downtown Fulton since October of 1984 caused severe damage. Every business in downtown Fulton was flooded by four feet of water from Harris Fork Creek. Several people were evacuated after downtown Fulton was flooded. Several roads were closed due to the flooding, including streets surrounding downtown Fulton. The county rescue squad provided a boat, which was used to access residents in flooded areas. In Hickman, 16 residents were evacuated, and at least four houses were damaged by flooding. Highways 94, 51, and 239 were closed. The three-day rainfall total as measured by a co-operative observer in Crutchfield was measured at 9.79 inches. This total is for…

7. May 4, 2021Tornado$310,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One home was destroyed, with the roof removed. Multiple outbuildings collapsed. Multiple large trees were snapped and uprooted. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph.

8. Mar 1, 1997Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Most of the flood damage was to roads and public property. Only two privately-owned buildings were damaged.

9. Mar 9, 2017Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado began in New Madrid County, Missouri, where it briefly attained EF-2 strength. The tornado crossed the Mississippi River at EF-1 intensity into agricultural flatlands of western Fulton County. A swath of highly convergent tree damage occurred in some wooded bottomlands along the Mississippi River levee in Fulton County. As it crossed open farmland, a few farm sheds were destroyed. Power poles and power lines were blown across roads. Swaths of tree damage occurred along tree lines between farm fields. Irrigation pivots were blown over. Several grain bins were destroyed, including a grain bin that was blown over or through a row of trees and across Highway 94. Peak…

10. Jan 29, 2008High Wind, Fulton$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A brief period of high winds followed in the wake of a cold front passage. The most intense damage occurred in Hickman in Fulton County, where estimated winds of 90 mph occurred. The bulk of the damage occurred in downtown Hickman and two blocks west, along a bluff over the Mississippi River. Two multi-level brick buildings over 100 years old received major damage. The roof was stripped off an historic hotel, and the entire face of the second building crumbled. The canopies of a gas station and another building were destroyed. The second story porch of a home atop the bluff was destroyed. There was widespread roof shingle damage, street sign damage, and tree damage. A few vehicles…

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

111°FAug 10, 1930

All-time low

−22°FJan 9, 1942

Warmest night

84°F2 times, most recently Jul 25, 1907

Coldest day

−3°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

10.38 inAug 3, 2023

Snowiest day

12.0 inJan 6, 1910

Hottest year

1921mean 63.4°F

Coldest year

1960mean 54.6°F

Wettest year

195780.19 in

Driest year

190126.68 in

Snowiest season

34.3 in1977-78

Station Union City (USC00409219), 321 ft elevation, 10.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1895 to September 30, 2026; 97.7% 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 USC00409219.
• 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.