Pendleton County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Pendleton County: 4.
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 (17).

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, Pendleton$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Persistent heavy rainfall occurred for nearly 36 hours on the 1st and 2nd. Up to 12 inches of rain fell across parts of Northern Kentucky bringing the Licking river at Falmouth out of it's banks. On the evening of the 2nd, the river crested at over 50 feet, which is the highest stage on record. The crest is an estimation since the gage was under water. Over 80 percent of Falmouth was inundated with water and almost the entire town of 2400 residents was evacuated. The town of Butler also experienced significant flooding. US 27 and Route 22 were covered by high water. Five people were killed by the river flooding all of which returned to their homes after being evacuated to shelters.

2. Mar 1, 1997Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Estimated rainfall of 6 to 12 inches across the county in less than 36 hours caused numerous creeks and streams to rise out of their banks. Many roads across the county were covered and some were even washed out. Several evacuations occurred across the county.

3. Mar 2, 2012Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially touched down in south central Campbell County at 1639 EST near Peach Grove Road and crossed Fisher Road northwest of Peach Grove. The tornado then crossed into Pendleton County at 1641 EST after producing high end EF3 damage along Reid Ridge Road near the Campbell and Pendleton County line. The tornado then moved across Mays Road producing significant and widespread EF2 to low end EF3 damage. The tornado then crossed AA highway and eventually the Ohio River, after crossing Kentucky Highway 8. Based on the damage surveyed, the maximum wind speed of the tornado was estimated to be 160 miles per hour in Campbell County and 140 miles per hour in Pendleton County.…

4. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Pendleton$1.8 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.

5. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Pendleton$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. Jan 3, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A weakening supercell tracked from near Louisville across Owen and Grant counties before collapsing over Pendleton county. The storm left a 3 mile long path of damage which ranged from 25 feet to nearly 100 yards wide. Two homes received significant damage and a barn was completely destroyed. Within the path of the storm, numerous trees and limbs were downed. Most of the damage was estimated to occur from 60 to 75 mph winds with gusts as high as 90 mph.

7. Dec 23, 2015Tornado$120,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage was first observed just north of the intersection of U.S. Route 27 and Bethel Loop. This location is south of Butler and northwest of Falmouth in Pendleton County. A mobile home originally anchored into the ground at 8-10 points was tilted and briefly lifted before rolling onto its top on the east side of Bethel Loop. The three residents sustained minor injuries requiring overnight hospitalization. Debris from the mobile home was carried downwind for approximately one-tenth of a mile. The debris field remained confined to a narrow path as it tapered to the east-northeast. This seemed indicative of convergent motion associated with the circulation. There were also several…

8. Jun 18, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service conducted a damage survey across portions of Pendleton County. The survey team noted extensive tree damage across the southern half of the county. Some of the more significant damage occurred near several neighborhoods south of Falmouth, where numerous trees were uprooted/snapped at the base, along with structural damage to several homes and outbuildings. Most of the observed damage from these buildings was a loss of roofing material, but there were a couple of outbuildings that had collapsed walls that led to a complete failure of the structure.|This type of damage is consistent with winds of 80-85 mph. There was additional tree damage in western…

9. Dec 16, 2000Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall flooded many roads across the county. A bridge was also washed out.

10. May 8, 1996Tornado$75,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Tornado hit just south of Butler, near US 27 ripping apart a two story brick home and destroying two barns. A car was severely damaged and numerous trees and utility lines were downed.

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

104°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−25°FJan 18, 1977

Warmest night

79°FJul 30, 1999

Coldest day

−4°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1985

Wettest day

5.21 inMar 9, 1964

Snowiest day

11.8 inFeb 4, 1998

Hottest year

2024mean 57.9°F

Coldest year

1963mean 51.1°F

Wettest year

201173.28 in

Driest year

196327.99 in

Snowiest season

53.9 in1977-78

Station Cincinnati/northern Kentucky I (USW00093814), 861 ft elevation, 28.3 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 USW00093814.
• 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.