Nelson County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 (11), NASA (1).

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. Mar 1, 1997Flood, Nelson$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record rainfall amounts from late evening Friday February 28 to the morning of Sunday March 2 lead to major flooding along the Salt River basin including the Rolling Fork. The Salt River at Sheperdsville reached the 32 foot flood stage just after 1 am est Sunday March 2 and crested at 40.9 feet at 1 pm est on Monday March 3. This was the worst flooding here since March 1964. The Rolling Fork at Boston reached the 35 foot flood stage at 11 pm est Saturday March 1 and crested at a record level of 53.2 feet at 1 pm est Monday March 3. This major flooding caused the most of the towns of Boston, Lebanon Junction and Sheperdsville to be underwater with water up to the rooftops in spots.…

2. May 2, 2010Flood$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Rolling Fork River at Boston crested around 50.7 feet at 730 PM EST on May 4. Flood stage at Boston is 35 feet. Major flooding occurs at this level, with water in businesses and homes in Boston and New Haven.

3. Feb 6, 2008Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado destroyed or heavily damaage two shop buildings at a construction company. A couple trailers on the company site were rolled over. Farther along the tornado's path, it knocked a mobile home off the foundation, and rolled it over two nearby cars. Two occupants of the mobile home were injured.

4. Apr 8, 2020Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially touched down on the northwest side of a large family home and farm on Fairfield Road. The upper part of the roof of a two story home was lifted off and thrown in various directions. Several large 2x10s and 2x8s were impaled in the ground about 50 yards from the barn. Two trees on the property sustained extensive twisting and several large section of the trees were snapped. The tornado at this point was only 35 yards wide with wind speeds of 95 mph. The owner of the house was upstairs sleeping, when he heard his ears popping, then a large roar of wind on top of the house and bricks fell on his bed. Surprisingly he sustained no injuries. The tornado then moved…

5. Feb 15, 2003Ice Storm, Nelson$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain began late in the afternoon of the 15th. The freezing rain changed to sleet late in the evening, and alternated between sleet and light freezing rain through most of the 16th. A thick coating of mostly sleet and some freezing rain accumulated one to two inches in most locations. Most of the property damage assessment in the area was due to expenses associated with the restoration of power and post storm cleanup of tree damage. About 2200 residents in Nelson County were without power after the storm. Sections of Interstate 64 were periodically shut down during the storm.

6. Jul 7, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A NWS storm survey determined that a small microburst impacted Nelson County with the strongest winds estimated to be 95 mph. This resulted in the roofs of a bourbon warehouse facility to be blown off.

7. Apr 4, 2008Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Rolling Fork River at Boston crested at 43.6 feet around 930 AM EST on April 6. Flood stage at Boston is 35 feet. Moderate flooding occurs at this level, with a few homes and trailers flooded outside of Boston.

8. Sep 22, 2006Flash Flood$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rowan Creek near Bardstown went out of its banks. It started to wash away the foundation from a modular home, and a family of three had to be rescued by a Nelson County swift-water rescue team. A motorist was rescued on Murray's Run Road near the bridge across Cox's Creek. Her car stalled when she attempted to drive through high water. No injuries were reported in either rescue.

9. Mar 28, 1997Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F0 tornado ripped a couple of roofs off homes and 1 building was badly damaged as reported by police and a National Weather Service employee.

10. Feb 6, 2008Tornado$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A long swath of wind damage showed signs of an intermittent embedded tornado. The tornado destroyed an outbuilding, and knocked the top half off a silo. Near Patton Road, there was an enhanced area of tree damage, with the trees laying in a convergent path, consistent with tornadic damage.

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°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−22°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

83°F3 times, most recently Jun 29, 2024

Coldest day

1°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

7.22 inMar 1, 1997

Snowiest day

15.5 inJan 17, 1994

Hottest year

2024mean 61.9°F

Coldest year

1960mean 54.5°F

Wettest year

201868.83 in

Driest year

195330.38 in

Snowiest season

50.1 in1977-78

Station Louisville International Airport (USW00093821), 480 ft elevation, 28.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00093821.
• 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.