Union County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Union 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 (5).

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. May 16, 2025Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 155 mph impacted the south side of Morganfield, KY, on the evening of May 16, 2025. The tornado began along Bunger Road where ground scouring of newly-planted crops was seen. Moving east, the tornado intensified,|doing EF-3 damage to several homes on Highway 130, Robinson Road, US Highway 60, Terre Hill Road, and Wildlife Road. Some homes suffered near catastrophic damage, with most roofs and most exterior walls removed. The tornado weakened after it crossed Highway 56 moving east, lifting near Kit Harris Road. The tornado reached a peak width of around 500 yards and caused four minor injuries along its 9.94 miles track.

2. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Union$8.7 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, Union$5.2 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$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Uniontown river gage, the flood crest of 56.94 feet on the morning of May 6 was about three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still over seven feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The Ohio River floodgates were installed on Kentucky Highway 923 at Sturgis. This was the first time since the March 1997 flood that such actions were required. Sandbagging was done to protect some houses. Several county roads were closed, as was the main traffic artery through the county, U.S. Highway 60. There were at least 14 state highways and 18 county roads posted as closed in Union County.

5. Nov 17, 2013Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began just northwest of Morganfield, then tracked north of and parallel to U.S. Highway 60. A church roof was lifted and blown sideways. There were numerous homes with roof damage and some substantial structural damage. One home sustained total roof loss. Numerous hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which were very large. Several barns and outbuildings were destroyed. One mobile home slid off its foundation. Another mobile home disintegrated, with no walls, flooring, or roofing found. The steel I-beam undercarriage was twisted. A large metal storage building was destroyed. The steel I-beams supporting the roof were twisted. This metal building, about a…

6. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Union$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure developed over the southern Plains, spreading widespread heavy precipitation across western Kentucky. At the same time, high pressure over the upper Ohio Valley produced a cold easterly wind flow. The result was a crippling ice storm. Around one inch of ice caused extensive damage across parts of western Kentucky, along and north of a line from Paducah to Madisonville. Many of those same areas received two to four inches of sleet and snow. Numerous trees and power lines were brought down, knocking out power to many thousands of homes. Power outages lasted up to a week. Emergency shelters were established in several counties (including Livingston, Crittenden, and…

7. Apr 2, 2024Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This EF-2 tornado touched down along the Ohio River in far western Union County with damage to several trees by the river. It travelled eastward, uprooting a tree at KY-871, then sliding a barn off its foundation on its second crossing of KY-871. Crossing Hilltop Rd, the tornado passed about 1.5 miles south of Uniontown. Considerable damage occurred to several homes in the Cottingham Acres Rd area along KY-130. This included significant roof damage, homes being shifted off their foundation, and an overturned manufactured home. Dozens of trees were uprooted or snapped along the path. The tornado lifted just east of Hodgins Rd after flipping a trailer several yards and turning a…

8. Nov 14, 2005Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Most of the flooding was from Morganfield east to the Henderson County line. At least a half-dozen businesses were flooded in Morganfield, including businesses in the Union County Shopping Center. Several homes in Sturgis and Morganfield were flooded. An auto shop and a YMCA building were flooded. Numerous roads were flooded or closed. Half of the roads in the Sturgis area were closed due to standing water. Parts of U.S. Highway 60 were impassable due to flooding. County schools were closed.

9. May 6, 2003Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado downed numerous trees. One farm, located on Highway 56 near the junction of Highway 141, was heavily damaged. Many trees were blown down in a wildlife area. The tornado crossed into Henderson County, where most of the structural damage occurred.

10. Apr 22, 2011Tornado$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several grain bins and barns were destroyed along the Union/Webster County line along Highway 56 and on a secondary road. Dozens of trees were uprooted and snapped. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. The average path width was 150 yards. The tornado exited into Webster County.

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

109°FJul 24, 1901

All-time low

−21°FJan 7, 1912

Warmest night

83°FJul 24, 1901

Coldest day

−7°FFeb 9, 1899

Wettest day

7.40 inApr 29, 1996

Snowiest day

14.0 inJan 12, 1912

Hottest year

1921mean 61.2°F

Coldest year

1958mean 53.8°F

Wettest year

195765.27 in

Driest year

196324.82 in

Snowiest season

50.3 in1911-12

Station Mount Vernon (USC00126001), 357 ft elevation, 19.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 27, 2026; 86.8% 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 USC00126001.
• 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.