Kentucky, 2003
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 2003 was 1,488 against 1,426 in 2002.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb 2003 | Breathitt | Tornado | F1 | $300,000 | 2 | 7 |
| 22 Aug 2003 | Franklin | Flash Flood | — | $3,000,000 | 2 | — |
| 11 May 2003 | Mercer | Tornado | F2 | $15,000,000 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Anderson | Ice Storm | — | $2,200,000 | 1 | — |
| 16 Jun 2003 | Carter | Flash Flood | — | $15,000 | 1 | — |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Madison | Flash Flood | — | $2,000 | 1 | — |
| 10 May 2003 | Lewis | Tornado | F3 | $5,000,000 | — | 17 |
| 11 May 2003 | Hardin | Tornado | F2 | $1,000,000 | — | 5 |
| 11 May 2003 | Taylor | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $40,000 | — | 4 |
| 11 Aug 2003 | Pulaski | Lightning | — | $40,000 | — | 3 |
| 4 May 2003 | McCracken | Hail | 2.50 in | $20,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 11 May 2003 | McLean | Tornado | F3 | $400,000 | — | 2 |
| 4 May 2003 | Daviess | Tornado | F2 | $75,000 | — | 2 |
| 26 Aug 2003 | Lyon | Heat | — | — | — | 2 |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Fayette | Ice Storm | — | $18,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 May 2003 | Webster | Tornado | F2 | $1,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 28 Jul 2003 | McCracken | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | $85,000 | — | 1 |
| 10 Aug 2003 | Pulaski | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 23 Jan 2003 | Christian | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | — | 1 |
| 4 May 2003 | Marshall | Hail | 2.75 in | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 May 2003 | Crittenden | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 1 |
| 22 Aug 2003 | Franklin | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Whitley | Flood | — | $3,660,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Pike | Flood | — | $3,310,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jun 2003 | Pike | Flash Flood | — | $2,800,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Lee | Flood | — | $2,510,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Knox | Flood | — | $2,270,000 | — | — |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Woodford | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Owsley | Flood | — | $1,880,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Powell | Flood | — | $1,720,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Breathitt | Flood | — | $1,650,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Carter | Ice Storm | — | $1,500,000 | — | — |
| 4 Aug 2003 | Barren | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $1,500,000 | — | — |
| 16 Jun 2003 | Floyd | Flash Flood | — | $1,200,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Bell | Flood | — | $1,130,000 | — | — |
| 5 May 2003 | Carter | Flash Flood | — | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Boyle | Ice Storm | — | $800,000 | — | — |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Bourbon | Ice Storm | — | $800,000 | — | — |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Scott | Ice Storm | — | $800,000 | — | — |
| 15 Feb 2003 | Mercer | Ice Storm | — | $800,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 2003
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jul 2003 | DR-1475 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Rock Slides, And Tornadoes | 23 |
| 3 Jun 2003 | DR-1471 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Rock Slides, And Tornadoes | 44 |
| 14 Mar 2003 | DR-1454 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Ice And Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Mud And | 52 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2003 date of loss
885 NFIP claims, 751 of them paid, for $9,022,261.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.