Owen County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Owen 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 (18).

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, 1997Flash Flood$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Estimated rainfall of 10 to 15 inches across the county in less than 36 hours caused many area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks. Numerous roads were flooded across the entire county. Two people were killed when their car was swept into flooded backwaters of the Kentucky River along State Route 355 near Perry Park.

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Owen$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. Gusts over 60 mph were common. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines to significant structural damage.

3. Jul 21, 2026Tornado$345,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially began in Carroll County at 1412EST, just northwest of Interstate 71 and traveled southeast, crossing into Gallatin County at 1414EST. The tornado then crossed into Owen County at 1415EST. ||The first damage observed by the tornado in Owen County was near New Liberty Sparta Road, where several large trees were snapped or had large limbs broken off of them. The tornado then took an easterly turn and continued toward Bromley, where it ripped the roof and at least two walls off of a well built barn, causing the barn to have a partial structural collapse. Additionally, the tornado ripped shingles and gutters off of several single family residences in Bromley.…

4. Mar 2, 2012Tornado$320,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down north of Owenton initially near a farm south of Highway 227, where minor damage to a barn and house were observed. The tornado continued east to near the intersection of Todd Road and Highways 127, 36, and 227 where the EF2 damage occurred. This damage included a house that had complete removal of the roof and partial exterior wall collapse. Numerous barns in the area were also completely destroyed. Power poles and trees were snapped, as well as a semi trailer overturned. The tornado then continued east across Kemper Lane where more barns were destroyed and numerous groves of trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado lifted just east of Jonesville Road.…

5. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Owen$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Blizzard of '96 developed near the Gulf Coast and moved up the East Coast. This massive system brought the greatest snowfall from one storm to Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport, as well as the greatest 24 hour snowfall. Total snowfall from this storm at the airport was 14.3 inches, while in a typical entire season this location normally receives only 23 inches of snowfall. Many homes and business experienced partial or total roof collapses due to the weight of the snow. Road conditions remained hazardous in some locations for many days. Many people believed that this was the worst winter storm since the Blizzard of '78.

6. Nov 9, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a barn in New Columbus and knocked down large limbs in Hesler.

7. May 1, 2016Flash Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain fell over parts of southern Owen County with measured rainfall rates as high as 2 inches in 45 minutes. Flash flooding occurred along Indian and Sawdridge Creeks. A 53 year old man was swept away and killed by the rapidly rising water along Indian Creek near the intersection of Teresita Road and Old Walnut Grove Road. Three other people needed to be rescued from a porch at a nearby residence due to the rising water.

8. Oct 7, 2014Tornado$45,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Owen County, a storm survey revealed that a weak tornado touched down west of Kentucky State Route 1883 with damage to some trees. More tree damage was found along Paynes Run Road, in addition to an outbuilding that was destroyed with debris lofted into an adjacent valley. Where Paynes Run Road intersects with New Columbus Road, several homes sustained minor roof damage with windows blown out, as well as significant tree damage. The tornado continued along New Columbus Road where a porch was lifted from a home (its final resting place still is unknown) and roof damage occurred to the home itself. From here the tornado damage became intermittent along the south side of New…

9. Jan 3, 2023Flash Flood$40,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A bridge was washed out near Browns Bottom Road and State Route 355.

10. Jun 13, 2021Flash Flood$30,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A portion of Claxon Ridge Road was washed out along Elk Lick Creek.

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°F2 times, most recently Jul 15, 1936

All-time low

−21°FJan 24, 1963

Warmest night

83°FJul 8, 1874

Coldest day

−3°F2 times, most recently Jan 12, 1918

Wettest day

8.04 inAug 2, 1932

Snowiest day

13.4 inJan 26, 1943

Hottest year

2024mean 59.8°F

Coldest year

1917mean 52.3°F

Wettest year

201871.98 in

Driest year

193024.89 in

Snowiest season

55.4 in1916-17

Station Lexington Bluegrass Airport (USW00093820), 962 ft elevation, 36.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1872 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 USW00093820.
• 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.