Fayette County, KY Environment & Hazard Risk

• TornadoRelatively High$23.93M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
• Cold waveRelatively High$15.68M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.3 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively High$876K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
• LightningRelatively High$2.13M/yr expected annual loss, about 52 events a year
• Strong windRelatively High$3.11M/yr expected annual loss, about 5.7 events a year
• HailRelatively Moderate$2.3M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.1 events a year
• EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$8.92M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 486 years
• Ice stormRelatively High$1.05M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$2.37M/yr expected annual loss, about 2.7 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$149K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 56 years
• WildfireVery Low$12K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14,209 years
• DroughtVery Low$6,465/yr expected annual loss, about 2.6 events a year
• LandslideVery Low$54/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

365 of 103,386 (0.4%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

0

Flood claims since 1978

457

Claims paid since 1978

$5.44M

• Thunderstorm Wind245 · 1 death
• Hail56
• Flash Flood55 · 2 deaths
• Winter Storm16 · 1 death
• High Wind15
• Lightning14 · 1 death
• Flood14
• Heavy Snow14
• Frost/Freeze6
• Ice Storm6

• Flash Flood09/23/2006

  Lexington, Fayette County

  2 deaths

  What happened

  Two women were knocked down and swept away by rapidly flowing water, after trying to cross a flooded intersection. Sixty intersections in town were covered by high water, some with water depths up to three or four feet. Interstate 75 at mile marker 115 was flooded. Interstate 64 at mile marker 81 also had high water.

• Ice Storm02/16/2003

  Fayette

  $18M damage

  What happened

  Light to occasionally moderate freezing rain began on the evening of the 15th, and continued through the evening of the 16th. Reports of ice accumulations of an inch were common along and north of Interstate 64, from Frankfort to Winchester. The hardest hit areas were in and around the cities of Frankfort and Lexington, where up to an inch and a quarter of ice accumulation was observed. A 78 year old male in Lawrenceburg in Anderson County died of injuries sustained when he was struck by a falling, ice covered, tree limb. After the storm, it is estimated that nearly 125,000 residents were without power for up to five days or more. Most of the property damage was reported in the Lexington area. A great deal of the monetary damage was for cleanup and restoration of power in the days after the storm.

• TornadoF3, 3 mi path, 100 yd wide05/28/2004

  Blue Grass Lex Arpt, Fayette County

  6 injured, $7.5M damage

  What happened

  The tornado first touched down just east of Masterson Station Park on the subdivision road of Buck Lane. It continued east through the subdivision, causing F2 damage. The tornado then crossed an open field and creek, entering another subdivision. It appeared that the tornado reached its maximum F3 intensity in this section of the path. The tornado was on the ground intermittently as it moved to the east northeast. It struck a single house on State Road 1978, doing F2 damage. It crossed Georgetown Road and struck another subdivision near Citation Boulevard, doing F1 to F2 damage. It continued for a short distance into a field, and then lifted. There was straight line wind damage to the south of the tornado path, and additional straight line wind damage to the east after the tornado lifted. The tornado damaged 15 homes to some degree, and at least 50 home received moderate to severe damage. The hardest hit area was the Masterson Station subdivision.

• Cold/Wind Chill01/11/2016

  Fayette

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  Bitterly cold temperatures encompassed central Kentucky during the morning hours of January 11th. Widespread lows were in the single digits to low teens and Bluegrass Airport in Lexington recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees. A slight breeze kept wind chill values in the single digits above and below zero. A local homeless man was found unresponsive in downtown Lexington and later pronounced dead. The Fayette County Coroner's office determined alcohol and exposure to the cold leading to hypothermia contributed to his death.

• Winter Weather12/23/2008

  Fayette

  1 death, $100K damage

  What happened

  Light freezing rain brought a rash of accidents on highways around the Lexington area. Broadcast media reported at least 50 accidents from early afternoon into the evening. Interstates 71, 75 and the Interstate 275 loop were reported as virtually impassable. An out-of-state driver was killed on Interstate 75 in Lexington when his vehicle was struck by another.

• Cold/Wind Chill02/15/2015

  Fayette

  1 death

  What happened

  A woman slipped and fell in the parking lot of her apartment after leaving a friend's home. Her body was found the next morning. The coroner ruled her death to be exposure and hypothermia. The low temperature at the Lexington ASOS that morning was 4 degrees.

• Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind07/07/2026

  Coletown, Fayette County

• Flash Flood07/07/2026

  East Hickman, Fayette County

• Flash Flood06/22/2026

  Lexington, Fayette County

• Flash Flood06/22/2026

  Cadentown, Fayette County

• Flash Flood06/22/2026

  Lexington, Fayette County

• Flash Flood06/22/2026

  Lexington, Fayette County

• Flash Flood06/22/2026

  Lexington, Fayette County

• Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind04/28/2026

  (Lex)blu Grs Fld Lex, Fayette County

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