McCracken County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within McCracken 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 (7).

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, Mccracken$27.2 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. May 4, 2003Hail$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One of the most destructive hailstorms on record in far western Kentucky began near the Mississippi River just south of Cairo, Illinois. The storm moved east across Ballard County, producing quarter-size hail. One-inch diameter hail was reported on U.S. Highway 60 at mile marker 7, near Barlow. Hailstones grew larger as the storm crossed McCracken County, pounding the southwest side of Paducah and Lone Oak with hail from golf ball to tennis ball size. Thousands of vehicles were dented, and hail broke some windshields, including the windshield of a deputy sheriff's vehicle. The roofs of hundreds of buildings sustained at least minor damage. The only known injury occurred in…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Mccracken$11.7 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. May 1, 2011Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Paducah river gage, the flood crest of 55.03 feet around noon on May 5 was over three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still several 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 McCracken 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 at the Paducah gage. The flood gates were installed in the floodwall protecting the city of Paducah. Low-lying areas…

5. Jun 1, 2013Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major flash flood produced millions of dollars in damage in McCracken County. The flooding started out as significant street flooding two to three feet deep in the usual problem spots in the city of Paducah. The railroad underpass at U.S. Highways 62 and 45 in Paducah was closed. The flooding steadily increased to include low-lying sections of numerous roads throughout the county, some of which were impassable. At least three vehicles drove into floodwaters, becoming completely submerged and requiring assistance from rescue boats. Numerous other vehicles stalled out in floodwaters. The swift water rescue team rescued about 30 people from flooded cars and buildings. Creeks and…

6. Mar 3, 2023Tornado$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado began at 11:08 AM CST just west of the intersection of Old Mayfield Road and McNeil Road. Traveling north-northeast, the tornado paralleled Old Mayfield Road, doing significant roof, siding, and fascia damage to numerous homes and a few businesses. A few homes had most of their roofing structures completely removed. Several outbuildings were completely destroyed. County emergency management officials assessed the damage and found four homes were destroyed and 68 homes were damaged. Numerous wooden power poles were snapped or tilted by tornadic winds. After crossing Hardmoney Road, the tornado did damage to homes, trees, and outbuildings along Michael Drive West…

7. Mar 14, 2019Tornado$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This multi-county tornado entered McCracken County from Ballard County near the community of Lovelaceville. The tornado tracked within a couple of miles either side of U.S. Highway 62 for most of its path in McCracken County. The tornado intermittently reached EF-2 intensity from the Ballard County line to about two miles southeast of Barkley Regional Airport. A total of 25 dwellings were damaged along the path in McCracken County. Five businesses were damaged, and 20 residences were damaged. The damage was categorized as minor for 14 of the residences, major for one, and five were destroyed. Major structural damage included partial loss of roofs or walls. Minor damage to homes…

8. Jul 7, 2015Flash Flood$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flash flooding occurred as a result of persistent thunderstorms that dumped up to 5.5 inches of rain in four hours. The heaviest rainfall amounts occurred over the city of Paducah, where serious flooding of streets and low-lying areas took place. A state of emergency was declared by the city and county government leaders. Floodwaters affected about 133 private residences and 29 businesses. Among the flooded buildings were three apartment complexes, the sheriff's department, an ambulance building, and the county jail. The vast majority of the flooded buildings remained habitable, but nearly a dozen were uninhabitable until minor repairs could be made. Water overwhelmed…

9. Feb 10, 2019Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A prolonged major river flood damaged about 50 homes in McCracken County. At Paducah, the Ohio River crested at 53.27 feet on the 25th. This was tied with the 1950 flood for the second worst flood since the Flood of 1937. Since 1937, only the flood crest of 2011 was higher. The flood crest reached 60.60 feet in the winter of 1937. Levee and flood wall gates were installed in the Paducah area. This action along with heavy rainfall in west Kentucky and backwater from the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers caused widespread flooding in the southeast part of McCracken County. Smaller rivers and creeks such as the Clarks River had nowhere to drain and kept rising with each successive round of…

10. Mar 1, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$600,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Widespread damaging winds around 75 mph occurred across much of western and central McCracken County, including the cities of Paducah and Lone Oak. A wind gust to 75 mph was measured by the automated observing system at Barkley Regional Airport. A wind gust to 68 mph was measured at a fire station in Grahamville. Numerous buildings sustained minor roof damage, including a few historic landmarks in downtown Paducah. A metal wall panel was blown off a large storage building in Paducah. A large tree fell through the kitchen and bedroom of a house. Several outbuildings and sheds were destroyed, including one that was blown onto a road near Barkley Regional Airport. Trees and signs…

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

108°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−15°FJan 20, 1985

Warmest night

82°FJul 16, 1980

Coldest day

1°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

7.49 inSep 5, 1985

Snowiest day

14.0 inDec 22, 2004

Hottest year

2024mean 61.7°F

Coldest year

1958mean 55.6°F

Wettest year

201174.85 in

Driest year

196328.20 in

Snowiest season

35.7 in1977-78

Station Paducah (USW00003816), 506 ft elevation, 6.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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 USW00003816.
• 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.