Kentucky tornado risk
120 counties scored 1 rated Very High
Jefferson County has the highest tornado risk in Kentucky, scoring 99.7 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Kentucky have increased 61% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County | 99.7 | Very High | 11 |
| 2 | Fayette County | 98 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Warren County | 93.1 | Relatively High | 10 |
| 4 | Kenton County | 91.7 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 5 | Boone County | 91.6 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 6 | Christian County | 91.2 | Relatively High | 26 |
| 7 | Daviess County | 88.9 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 8 | Bullitt County | 88.6 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 9 | Shelby County | 87.8 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 10 | McCracken County | 85.7 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 11 | Oldham County | 85.5 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 12 | Barren County | 85.4 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 13 | Madison County | 85.3 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 14 | Franklin County | 84.9 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 15 | Hardin County | 84.2 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 16 | Laurel County | 83.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 17 | Pulaski County | 83 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 18 | Scott County | 80.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 19 | Campbell County | 80 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Hopkins County | 79.6 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 21 | Calloway County | 79.3 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 22 | Boyle County | 76.4 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 23 | Meade County | 75.9 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 24 | Woodford County | 73.2 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 25 | Grayson County | 70.8 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 26 | Graves County | 70.6 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 27 | Trigg County | 69.7 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 28 | Allen County | 69.5 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 29 | Jessamine County | 69.3 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 30 | Mercer County | 69.1 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 31 | Nelson County | 69.1 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 32 | Taylor County | 68.9 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 33 | Clark County | 68 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 34 | Logan County | 67.7 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 35 | Adair County | 65.7 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 36 | Grant County | 64.4 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 37 | Anderson County | 64.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 38 | Russell County | 64.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 39 | Whitley County | 64 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Hart County | 63.8 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 41 | Ohio County | 63.7 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 42 | Harrison County | 63.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 43 | Breckinridge County | 62.8 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 44 | Marion County | 61.9 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 45 | Casey County | 61.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 46 | Knox County | 61.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 47 | Caldwell County | 61.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 48 | Marshall County | 60.8 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 49 | Bourbon County | 59 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 50 | Mason County | 57.9 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 51 | Carroll County | 57.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 52 | Garrard County | 57.6 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 53 | Spencer County | 56.7 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 54 | Henderson County | 56.5 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 55 | Simpson County | 55.4 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 56 | Todd County | 55.1 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 57 | Muhlenberg County | 54.6 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 58 | Fleming County | 54.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 59 | Montgomery County | 53.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 60 | Monroe County | 53.4 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 61 | Washington County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 62 | Trimble County | 52.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 63 | Pendleton County | 51.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 64 | Boyd County | 51.3 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 65 | Owen County | 50.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 66 | Fulton County | 50.3 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 67 | Henry County | 50.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 68 | Livingston County | 49.1 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 69 | Rockcastle County | 48.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 70 | Metcalfe County | 48.7 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 71 | McCreary County | 48.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 72 | Lyon County | 48 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 73 | Crittenden County | 47.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 74 | Gallatin County | 46.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 75 | Clinton County | 46.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 76 | Green County | 46.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 77 | Butler County | 45.6 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 78 | Wayne County | 43.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 79 | Bell County | 41.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 80 | Greenup County | 41.5 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 81 | Hickman County | 41.4 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 82 | Clay County | 41.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 83 | Rowan County | 41.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 84 | Edmonson County | 40.9 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 85 | Carter County | 40.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 86 | Webster County | 39.7 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 87 | Lincoln County | 39.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 88 | Harlan County | 39.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 89 | Union County | 38.7 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 90 | Cumberland County | 38.4 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 91 | Estill County | 37.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 92 | McLean County | 37.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 93 | Powell County | 37.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 94 | Larue County | 36.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 95 | Lewis County | 35.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 96 | Nicholas County | 35.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 97 | Floyd County | 35.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 98 | Hancock County | 34.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 99 | Perry County | 33.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 100 | Bath County | 32.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 101 | Bracken County | 31.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 102 | Jackson County | 31.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 103 | Ballard County | 31.7 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 104 | Carlisle County | 30.5 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 105 | Johnson County | 30.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 106 | Morgan County | 29.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 107 | Letcher County | 27.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 108 | Breathitt County | 27.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 109 | Elliott County | 24.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 110 | Lee County | 23.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 111 | Magoffin County | 22.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 112 | Leslie County | 22 | Very Low | 0 |
| 113 | Martin County | 21.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 114 | Wolfe County | 21.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 115 | Robertson County | 21.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 116 | Lawrence County | 20.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 117 | Menifee County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 118 | Pike County | 19.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 119 | Knott County | 19.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 120 | Owsley County | 15.8 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Kentucky:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Kentucky?
Jefferson County, KY has the highest tornado risk in Kentucky, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.7 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Kentucky are rated Very High for tornado risk?
1 of 120 scored Kentucky counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes tornado risk in Kentucky?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.