Green County

Population 11,644 (2025) 286 sq mi

Property owners in Green County have filed 3 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 106th most of 120 counties in Kentucky.

Hazard fingerprint for Green County Tornado: 50th percentile. Tropical: 20th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 57th percentile. Hail & wind: 66th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 22th percentile. Winter: 16th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195011
  • Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger3

At a glance

The record for Green County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Flood insurance claims

3

106th of 120 in Kentucky

$205,000 paid since 2021

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

11

54th of 120 in Kentucky

About as many as the typical Kentucky county

Details

Tropical cyclones within 50 mi

3

6th of 120 in Kentucky

None at hurricane strength since 1851

Details

Strongest tornado

F4

April 3, 1974, 20.2 mile path

Strongest tropical cyclone

TS

Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 15.3 miles away

Federal disaster declarations

27

Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, 2026

Details

Record high

108°F

Reached 2 times, most recently June 30, 2012

Details

Record low

−21°F

February 2, 1951

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 6.9 years since 1950, 2 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

April 3, 1974

F4, 20.2 mile path

10 yards wide.

Deadliest

April 27, 1971

6 killed, F4

58 injured along the whole path.

Most recent

Saturday, December 11, 2021

EF2, 23.8 mile path

5 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 0 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 1 M: 1 A: 6 6 M: 1 J: 0 J: 1 A: 0 S: 0 O: 0 N: 0 D: 1 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Green County since 1950
Dec 11, 2021EF223.852810
Feb 24, 2018EF21.310000
Apr 5, 2017EF10.825000
Jul 13, 2015EF11.15000
Apr 27, 2011EF13.115000
Mar 28, 1997F23.030000
Apr 20, 1996F03.010000
May 14, 1995F11.030000
Apr 3, 1974F420.210560
Apr 11, 1972F20.11000
Apr 27, 1971F414.1100586
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Green 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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

3 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.

Strongest within 50 miles

August 21, 1888

Unnamed storm, Tropical storm

15.3 miles at closest approach, winds near 54 mph.

Most recent

September 27, 2024

Helene, Remnant low

0.0 miles at closest approach.

Every storm within 100 miles

Tropical cyclones within 100 miles
Helene20240.0Remnant low46Category 4
Opal199544.8Tropical storm40Category 4
Frederic197941.7Tropical storm41Category 4
Audrey195715.9Tropical storm41Category 3
Unnamed191556.8Post-tropical40Category 4
Unnamed18927.5Post-tropical47Tropical storm
Unnamed188815.3Tropical storm54Category 3
  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.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 55 days

Heavy smoke on 9 days in 2023, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

14.3 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

10 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 30 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 5 2012: 6 2013: 4 2014: 3 2015: 5 2016: 1 2017: 1 2018: 5 2019: 6 2020: 10 2021: 32 2022: 11 2023: 55 55 2024: 12 2025: 10 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

3 federal flood insurance claims since 2021, with $205,000 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year
Claims per year since 2021. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Flood events since 1996

  • Flash Flood21
  • Flood6
  • Heavy Rain1

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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 128 of 1,581 months since 1895 (8%); the longest spell lasted 18 months.

128

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

40

Months in extreme drought

8%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

February 1931

−5.82, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

18 months

August 1953 to January 1955.

Latest month

September 2026

−2.61, moderate drought

Last severe month: June 2026.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 2 1900: 1 1901: 5 1902: 8 1903: 0 1904: 3 1905: 6 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 4 1914: 7 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 1 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 6 1931: 11 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 0 1935: 0 1936: 3 1937: 0 1938: 0 1939: 1 1940: 8 1941: 9 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 1 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 1 1953: 8 1954: 12 12 1955: 1 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 3 1964: 2 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 1 1981: 3 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 1 1987: 0 1988: 1 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 5 2000: 4 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 1 2006: 1 2007: 2 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 1 2024: 1 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes

5 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1986; none reached magnitude 4.

0

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

1

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

0

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

June 4, 1987

Magnitude 3.1

9 km SW of Shepherdsville, Kentucky; 33.5 miles away, 4.7 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

June 4, 1987

Magnitude 3.1

9 km SW of Shepherdsville, Kentucky; 33.5 miles away.

  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.

Severe weather and other events

262 events in the National Weather Service record, 220 of them since 1996.

34

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

4

Hail, 2 inches or larger

121

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

23

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

4

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

April 23, 1968

2.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

April 28, 2002

115 mph

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Apr 28, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$1.2 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Eight houses were destroyed. Two houses had major damage. Eight other homes had minor damage. Thirteen barns were damaged or destroyed. Six businesses had damage. An unoccupied mobile home was flipped over a house and into a tree. Numerous trees and power lines were down.

  2. Apr 5, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Over 160 structures were damaged in a 2-3 mile wide swath extending 15 miles from near Hiseville in Barren County northeast across Metcalfe into Green County. Three EF-1 tornadoes, with maximum winds of 100-110 mph were embedded within this area. Outside of the tornadoes, maximum winds were estimated at 70-90 mph. In Green County, non-tornadic winds did the most damage to homes 3/4 mile east-northeast of Crailhope and 1.75 miles west-northwest of Pierce.

  3. Jul 13, 2015Tornado$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    This brief tornado tracked for approximately 1.1 miles with a maximum width of 50 yards. The highest winds were estimated to have been 95 to 105 mph. The tornado destroyed two barns and one mobile home in addition to considerable roof damage to six outbuildings along Ebenezer Road and Highway 61 southeast of Greensburg.

  4. Feb 24, 2018Tornado$130,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    An EF2 tornado touched down east of a row of trees, where it caused roof damage to 2 out of 3 barns. The tornado headed east, where it downed 2 other barns. One, on the left side of the path, was shifted south, and the other, to the right of the path, was shifted north. Tall grass along a fence line within the width of the tornado showed evidence of convergence. Also, a large tree on the north side of the path was snapped southward and drug 10 feet south. Heading east, several trees fell near a residence, but none damaged the house itself. A detached garage had its door blown outward. Next, a 2 story house had some roof damage and a porch on the lee side of the house had a column…

  5. Apr 5, 2017Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado touched down in an open field and moved northeast toward a corner on Mahogany Lane. Two small vortices, one 50 yards wide and the other 100 yards wide, reached speeds up to 105 mph as they destroyed a large, well-built barn and two smaller outbuildings in addition to a fifth wheel trailer. The debris from each of these structures was blown to the northeast up to �� mile, and exhibited both convergence and rotation.

  6. May 27, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A shingle roof was blown off a warehouse. A portion of a sheet metal wall was blown out of another warehouse. Part of the roof was blown off a gas station. A few warehouse doors were blown in. Several large trees were downed.

  7. Jul 9, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A Kentucky state official reported that multiple trees and power lines were down with structural damage reported as well.

  8. Feb 24, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Local media reported trees and power lines down with power outages.

  9. Jun 11, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Emergency Manager reported a communications tower buckled due to severe thunderstorm winds.

  10. Apr 22, 2005High Wind, Green$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Gradient winds blew the roof off a building in downtown Greensburg.

  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.

Weather records

From Mammoth Cave, 34.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1934.

All-time high
108°F2 times, most recently Jun 30, 2012
All-time low
−21°FFeb 2, 1951
Warmest night
81°FAug 16, 1988
Coldest day
5°FJan 23, 1936
Wettest day
6.80 inMay 7, 1984
Snowiest day
16.0 inMar 9, 1960
Hottest year
2024mean 62.2°F
Coldest year
1940mean 53.7°F
Wettest year
195071.86 in
Driest year
199926.27 in
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Mammoth Cave 32°F 47° 28° 4.2 Jan 53° 32° 4.7 Feb 63° 40° 5.0 Mar 73° 48° 5.3 Apr 81° 56° 5.6 May 88° 64° 5.1 Jun 91° 68° 5.3 Jul 89° 66° 4.0 Aug 85° 60° 3.9 Sep 74° 49° 3.4 Oct 61° 40° 3.9 Nov 51° 33° 4.8 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1976: 0 1977: 5 1978: 2 1979: 0 1980: 25 1981: 1 1983: 26 1984: 1 1985: 0 1986: 11 1987: 6 1988: 25 1989: 0 1995: 9 1997: 4 1998: 8 1999: 34 34 2000: 6 2001: 2 2002: 18 2004: 4 2009: 2 2010: 32 2011: 25 2012: 28 2013: 1 2014: 16 2015: 8 2016: 24 2017: 12 2018: 23 2019: 24 2020: 9 2021: 10 2022: 27 2023: 10 2024: 30 2025: 27 1976198720042018
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 16.0.

Station Mammoth Cave (USC00155097), 760 ft elevation, 34.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1934 to October 26, 2026; 88.6% 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

27 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, September 1, 2026.

Federal disaster declarations
Sep 1, 2026Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4937-KY
Jan 24, 2026Winter StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3633-KY
Apr 24, 2025Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4864-KY
Apr 3, 2025Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingEmergencyEM-3626-KY
Feb 24, 2025Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4860-KY
Feb 16, 2025Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and LandslidesEmergencyEM-3624-KY
Jul 23, 2024Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4804-KY
Apr 10, 2023Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4702-KY
Feb 27, 2022Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, LandslidesMajor disasterDR-4643-KY
Mar 28, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4497-KY
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3469-KY
May 4, 2011Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1976-KY
May 11, 2010Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and TornadoesMajor disasterDR-1912-KY
Feb 5, 2009Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1818-KY
Jan 28, 2009Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3302-KY
Sep 10, 2005HurricaneHurricane KatrinaEmergencyEM-3231-KY
Aug 6, 2004Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1537-KY
Mar 14, 2003Severe StormSevere Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud andMajor disasterDR-1454-KY
May 7, 2002Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1414-KY
Mar 4, 1997Severe StormSevere Storm, Flooding, and TornadoesMajor disasterDR-1163-KY
Jan 13, 1996SnowstormBlizzard of 96Major disasterDR-1089-KY
Jun 13, 1995TornadoTornadoes, Severe Winds, HailMajor disasterDR-1055-KY
Mar 16, 1994SnowstormSevere Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, SnwMajor disasterDR-1018-KY
Mar 16, 1993SnowstormSevere Snowfall & Winter StormEmergencyEM-3104-KY
May 15, 1984Severe StormHigh Winds, Tornadoes & FloodingMajor disasterDR-705-KY
Apr 4, 1974TornadoTornadoesMajor disasterDR-420-KY
May 10, 1971TornadoTornadoMajor disasterDR-305-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 Green County stands among 120 counties in Kentucky and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19501154 / 1202,153 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger231 / 120866 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi36 / 1201,131 / 3,143
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims3106 / 1202,656 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$205,00093 / 1202,118 / 3,143
Disaster declarations2753 / 120582 / 3,143
Flood events since 199628112 / 1202,188 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199615878 / 1202,308 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 199623111 / 1202,569 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$2.5 million99 / 1202,696 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189512856 / 1201,516 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years14.368 / 1201,721 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Adair County13301
Hart County1821,50011
Larue County142021
Metcalfe County19307
Taylor County13308

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 USC00155097.
  • 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.