Shelby County, KY Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by strong wind. 308 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $21.5M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 308
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 38
- 0.2% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Low
Score 61.9 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 46.2 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 79.9 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $12.26B · Agriculture value exposed: $92.82M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $23.42M
Risk by hazard
- Strong windRelatively High$2.58M/yr expected annual loss, about 6.6 events a year
- TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.94M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- LightningRelatively High$991K/yr expected annual loss, about 51 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$974K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 487 years
- Ice stormRelatively Moderate$134K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$1.32M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.3 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$283K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.4 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$44.74K/yr expected annual loss, about 10 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$490/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- DroughtRelatively Low$29.17K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.3 events a year
- HailVery Low$114K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.4 events a year
- WildfireVery Low$8,013/yr expected annual loss, about once every 38,587 years
- HurricaneVery Low$5,992/yr expected annual loss, about once every 106 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.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 38 of 17,079 (0.2%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 78
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 17 (22%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 31
- Claims paid since 1978
- $369K
Flood claims paid per year
- Flooding$65.22K · 3 claims
- Tropical Storm Fred$14.66K · 1 claim
- Not a named storm$5,189 · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 308 events, 5 deaths, $2.49M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind158
- Hail51
- Flash Flood26 · 1 death
- Winter Storm14
- Heavy Snow13 · 1 death
- Flood12
- Tornado9
- High Wind8 · 1 death
- Ice Storm6
- Frost/Freeze5
Events per year
19 tornadoes on record (EF0 4, EF1 3, EF2 1, F0 1, F1 5, F2 5).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- High Wind52 kt wind09/14/2008
Shelby
1 death, 2 injured
What happened
A 10 year old boy was killed when struck by a falling tree limb while mowing the lawn. Two other injuries were reported in Shelby county when a car fell on a father and daughter sitting in a car.
- Flash Flood03/02/1997
Countywide, Shelby County
1 death, $1.2M damage
What happened
1 to 2 inches of rain fell on top of 24 hour totals from 6 to 10 inches resulting in widespread flash flooding with many roads water covered and closed and homes damaged. A 13 year old boy was killed as he drowned trying to clean out his culvert.
- Lightning08/07/2005
Simpsonville, Shelby County
1 death
What happened
A sixteen year old boy was struck by lightning while horseback riding. Both the rider and the horse were killed. Elsewhere over north central Kentucky, thunderstorm winds downed trees, some blocking roadways.
- Heavy Snow02/04/1998
Shelby
1 death
What happened
A freak winter storm dumped as much as 25 inches of snow on parts of Kentucky from the evening of February 3 to the morning of February 6. Most of the Kentucky counties were declared states of emergency by the morning of February 5 as trees and power lines were down across a large area of the Louisville County Warning Area and roads became snow covered, slick, hazardous and in some remote places inpassable. Over the three days, 3 people were killed and four injured across the Louisville CWA. One four year old boy was killed and 4 injured in a multi-car pileup on Interstate 65 in Louisville. A 71 year old man in Louisville was run crushed by his own truck as he and another man tried to free it from a snow drift. Also, a 35 year old man was killed in a traffic accident in Taylorsville. The storm system took a typical winter time path from the Gulf Coast and northeast along the Atlantic coast. However, due to the strength of the system and its slow movement, enough deep layered moisture was pulled into the system from the Atlantic Ocean, that the moisture was able to negotiate the Appalacian Mountains bringing heavy snows much further west than typical "nor'easters". The initial...
- Lightning06/10/2009
Shelbyville, Shelby County
1 death
What happened
A 44-year old main died Monday, June 15th after being struck by lightning at his workplace on Wednesday, June 10th. The man was standing outside waiting to be picked up from work when his coworkers heard a very loud boom and looked out to find him laying on the ground beneath the tree. Coworkers and emergency workers performed CPR on the man but he died five days later due to multiple organ failure according to local news reports.
- Thunderstorm Wind70 kt wind02/06/2008
Joyes, Shelby County
$200K damage
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind53 kt wind07/28/2026
Cropper, Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/18/2026
Chestnut Grove, Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind06/18/2026
Shelbyville, Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind06/18/2026
Cropper, Shelby County
- Flash Flood05/23/2026
Graefenburg, Shelby County
- Hail0.88" hail05/17/2026
Simpsonville, Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind04/28/2026
Chestnut Grove, Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind04/28/2026
Vigo, Shelby County
Drinking water
4 community water systems serve about 53,306 people. Violations since 2021.
None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.
- Shelbyville Water & Sewer CommissionServes 23,760 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- North Shelby Water DistrictServes 14,660 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- US 60 Water DistrictServes 7,892 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- West Shelby Water DistrictServes 6,994 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Shelbyville 1 E
Summer highs peak around 88°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 20°F in Jan. About 49.8 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°F | 20°F | 4.15 in |
| Feb | 47°F | 21°F | 3.78 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 29°F | 4.65 in |
| Apr | 68°F | 38°F | 4.03 in |
| May | 77°F | 49°F | 5.17 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 58°F | 5.24 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 62°F | 4.10 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 58°F | 3.69 in |
| Sep | 81°F | 50°F | 3.45 in |
| Oct | 69°F | 40°F | 3.51 in |
| Nov | 57°F | 30°F | 3.52 in |
| Dec | 46°F | 24°F | 4.53 in |
| Year | 53°F average | 49.8 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 7 toxic release facilities in Shelby County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Matalco Shelbyville LLC1,255 lbs released, Shelbyville
- Greenfield Global USA Inc.750 lbs released, Shelbyville
- Voestalpine Roll Forming Inc.91.9 lbs released, Shelbyville
- Stanley Black & Deckerunder 1 lb released, Shelbyville
- Katayama American Co. Inc.under 1 lb released, Shelbyville
- Process Machinery Inc.0 lbs released, Shelbyville
- Amcor Packaging Inc.0 lbs released, Shelbyville
Total: 2,098 lbs in 2024, 1,875 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk121 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Shelby County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Shelby County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $21.5M a year. The highest-rated hazards are strong wind (relatively high), tornado (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively high).
- What storms are most common in Shelby County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 308 storm events affecting Shelby County, most often thunderstorm wind (158), hail (51), flash flood (26).
- How many tornadoes have hit Shelby County?
- 19 tornadoes have been recorded in Shelby County since 1950.
- How many homes in Shelby County have flood insurance?
- 38 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Shelby County, covering about 0.2% of homes. The program has paid $369K on 31 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Shelby County?
- At Shelbyville 1 E, average highs reach 88°F in Jul and lows fall to 20°F in Jan, with 49.8 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.