Henderson County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 (16).

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. Nov 15, 2005Flash Flood$17.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding inundated numerous homes and businesses. County officials estimated 3.5 million dollars in damage occurred to homes, and 14 million dollars in damage to commercial and government property. Many roads were closed or under several feet of water. Numerous people were evacuated and removed from subdivisions in the city of Henderson, including the Cooper Park and Lakeland neighborhoods. Water was up to the window sills on some homes. An industrial area was flooded by Canoe Creek, with three to four feet of water in at least two manufacturing plants. A portion of the Eastgate Shopping Center was submerged, closing several businesses. Throughout the county, a…

2. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Henderson$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…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Henderson$9.1 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. Nov 6, 2005Tornado$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado that would cause mass casualties in the Evansville, Indiana area crossed the Ohio River a second time. This second crossing was from Vanderburgh County, Indiana into Henderson County. The tornado then crossed the river a third time less than a mile west of the U.S. Highway 41 twin bridges. The river does not form the state line at the third crossing. From the bridges, extensive tree damage was visible along both sides of the Ohio River. Almost immediately after crossing the river, the tornado slammed into a horse racing facility named Ellis Park. There was extensive damage to grandstands and housing facilities for jockeys. A few race horses were killed. This facility…

5. May 1, 2011Flood$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Evansville, Indiana river gage, the river crested at 46.78 feet on May 5. This was the 8th highest crest on record, and less than a foot below the 1997 flood. Due to Ohio River flooding, a horse-racing track was surrounded by floodwater. A preliminary estimate of the number of flooded homes ranges from 100 to 200. Near the confluence of the Green and Ohio Rivers, a number of homes were enveloped by water near Spottsville. At least 80 county roads and a much smaller number of state roads were closed by flooding. U.S. Highway 60 was closed from Spottsville to the Daviess County line. A Red Cross shelter was opened for a very…

6. Mar 1, 1997Flood, Henderson$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Historic flooding occurred along the Green River as a result of widespread rainfall between 5 and 10 inches across central and western Kentucky. Virtually the entire town of Rumsey was evacuated before it was inundated by the Green River. About 20 percent of Calhoun was underwater, and small parts of Livermore were affected.In Daviess County, backwater from the Green River slowed drainage of Panther Creek, causing parts of Owensboro to flood. Many schools were out for one to two weeks. The National Guard was mobilized to help with looting prevention, rescue efforts, and sandbagging. Daviess County was especially hard hit due to the combined effects of major flooding along the…

7. May 1, 2011Flood$3.0 million
   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. Mar 28, 2020Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began in Corydon, passed across the southern outskirts of Henderson, and ended a mile or so west of Spottsville. The tornado did roof, siding, and fascia damage to dozens of homes along the path. At least a dozen barns or outbuildings sustained roof or structural damage. One large barn was completely destroyed, with debris scattered hundreds of yards from its foundation. The tornado moved northeast across the intersection of the Audubon Parkway and Highway 41 on the south side of Henderson. A Kentucky state road maintenance facility at that intersection sustained damage. A salt dome was destroyed, and a radio tower was blown down. Hundreds of trees were snapped or…

9. Mar 28, 2009Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado crossed into Henderson County from Union County. The tornado was near its maximum intensity of 140 mph near the county line. A Ford Ranger pickup truck was hurled about one quarter mile. Several other vehicles were overturned. Six homes were destroyed, ten received major damage, and sixty homes and buildings received minor damage. Much of the damage occurred in and near Corydon, especially along U.S. Highway 60. The hardest-hit buildings lost most walls and the roof. At least one grain bin was flattened. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. The average path width was about 300 yards. The tornado was photographed by an emergency management official. Due to the…

10. Jan 7, 2005Flood, Henderson$450,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Moderate to major flooding of the Ohio River occurred. States of emergency were declared in McCracken, Livingston, Union, and Henderson Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. Isolated evacuations of some lowland residents were conducted. In Henderson County, five families from the Spottsville area were evacuated, and the county rescue squad evacuated two residences. Isolated homes were surrounded by water and accessible only by boat. A trailer home was flooded in Henderson County. In Union County, 13 families were evacuated, including three on the Tradewater River in Sturgis. Several homes outside the Uniontown floodwall were…

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

107°F3 times, most recently Jul 5, 2012

All-time low

−23°FFeb 2, 1951

Warmest night

82°FJul 8, 1980

Coldest day

−3°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1989

Wettest day

6.40 inMar 18, 2008

Snowiest day

19.3 inDec 22, 2004

Hottest year

2024mean 60.3°F

Coldest year

1979mean 53.8°F

Wettest year

201170.03 in

Driest year

196327.88 in

Snowiest season

37.9 in1969-70

Station Evansville Regional Airport (USW00093817), 402 ft elevation, 16.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.7% 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 USW00093817.
• 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.