Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Warren County, KY

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
21227
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2027-09-15. Plan: Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459), approved 2022-09-16.

Since the plan was approved on 2022-09-16: 7 new hazard declarations (6 incidents) and 68 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($32,273,602 a year), Hail ($22,553,929) and Tornado ($10,156,561).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2027-09-15
Plan:
Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)
Approved:
2022-09-16
Days to expiry:
350
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

What changed since your last plan (approved 2022-09-16)

New federal declarations:
7 new hazard declarations (6 incidents): DR-4702-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), DR-4804-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides), EM-3624-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides), EM-3626-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), DR-4864-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), DR-4875-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), EM-3633-KY (Severe Winter Storm)
Storm Events records since approval:
68 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 2, SRL 1 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 12
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiry
Warren County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Bowling Green cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Oakland cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Plum Springs cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Smiths Grove cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Woodburn cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15Barren River ADD Regional (FEMA plan 108459)2022-09-162027-09-15350
Western Kentucky UniversityCollege/UniversityApproved, expires 2031-06-24Western Kentucky University (FEMA plan 111622)2026-06-252031-06-241,728

Plan 108459 covers 29 other participants, named in the Excel file.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$31,604,903$47,705$620,994$32,273,602103
2HailVery HighVery High$22,491,234$7,351$55,344$22,553,929110
3TornadoRelatively HighRelatively High$3,108,684$8,183$7,039,695$10,156,56119
4EarthquakeRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$4,302,840n/a$1,923,110$6,225,950Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
5Cold WaveRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$412$31,582$3,571,571$3,603,5653Includes 3 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
6Heat WaveRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$256$237$1,779,945$1,780,4381
7Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$267,097$79,084$964,267$1,310,449266Includes 5 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
8Ice StormRelatively HighRelatively High$881,327n/a$138,392$1,019,7191
9LightningRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$55,075n/a$602,905$657,9804
10Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$78,227$540$102,411$181,17924
11DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$99,286n/a$99,2860No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
12HurricaneVery LowVery Low$37,683$7,602$580$45,8660No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13WildfireVery LowVery Low$5,898$10$1,324$7,2310No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$119n/a$423$5420Declared 7 times; no Storm Events record of this type.

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 104 (Relatively Moderate, 87.7); tract 107.01 (Relatively Moderate, 86.2); tract 102 (Relatively Moderate, 85.6)
Hurricanetract 116 (Very Low, 45.5); tract 115 (Very Low, 42.6); tract 114.01 (Very Low, 42.3)
Landslidetract 118.01 (Relatively Low, 88.1); tract 118.02 (Very Low, 79.5); tract 115 (Very Low, 75.6)
Tornadotract 111 (Very High, 97.5); tract 114.01 (Very High, 96.9); tract 117.01 (Very High, 96.4)
Wildfiretract 117.01 (Very Low, 62.8); tract 111 (Very Low, 62.6); tract 108.02 (Very Low, 60.8)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 104 is Census Tract 104). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage3 records, 2016 to 2025 (3 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 3 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)131 records, 1965 to 20250.75 in to 3 in (median 1 in); 131 with a recorded value3 in hail, 1969-04-18Hail, 1998-04-16, $510,000,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowling Green city (41 records), Smiths Grove city (4 records), Woodburn city (4 records), Oakland city (2 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)1 record, 2012 (1 zone-level)3 days; 1 with a recorded value3 consecutive days, 2012-06-28 to 2012-06-30, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)1 record, 2004 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)103 records, 1996 to 2025 (6 zone-level)Flood, 1997-03-01, $3,000,000 property; crops not reported (1997 dollars); NWS zone KYZ071Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowling Green city (32 records), Smiths Grove city (3 records), Oakland city (1 record). Zone-level records (6) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)4 records, 2007 to 2019Lightning, 2019-07-22, $100,000 property; $0 crops (2019 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowling Green city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)8 records, 1998 to 2023 (8 zone-level)31 kt (36 mph) to 63 kt (72 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 7 with a recorded value63 kt (72 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2009-02-11; NWS zone KYZ071High Wind, 1998-11-10, $10,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1998 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)318 records, 1955 to 202640 kt (46 mph) to 90 kt (104 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 281 with a recorded value90 kt (104 mph) estimated, Thunderstorm Wind, 2000-07-11Thunderstorm Wind, 2008-01-29, $200,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowling Green city (94 records), Smiths Grove city (15 records), Woodburn city (11 records), Oakland city (6 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)33 records, 1957 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF1); 33 with a recorded valueEF3 tornado, 2021-12-11, 25.7 mi within this county, 440 yd wide, property not reported; $0 crops (2021 dollars), 16 direct deaths, 63 direct injuriesTornado, 1974-04-03, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bowling Green city (6 records), Smiths Grove city (2 records), Oakland city (1 record), Woodburn city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)24 records, 1996 to 2026 (24 zone-level)Winter Weather, 2013-01-25, $40,000 property; $0 crops (2013 dollars); NWS zone KYZ071Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 26 declarations covering 20 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-01-242026-01-23EM-3633-KYEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2025-05-232025-05-16DR-4875-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Landslide; Strong Wind; Tornado$118,301new since last plan; within last 5 years
2025-04-242025-04-02DR-4864-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide; Strong Wind; Tornado$935,785.11new since last plan; within last 5 years
2025-04-032025-04-02EM-3626-KYEmergencySevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornadono Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 yearssame incident as DR-4864
2025-02-162025-02-14EM-3624-KYEmergencySevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and LandslidesInland Flooding; Landslide; Strong Windno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-07-232024-05-21DR-4804-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and MudslidesLandslide; Strong Wind; Tornado$588,128.39new since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-04-102023-03-03DR-4702-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide; Strong Wind; Tornado$608,205.03new since last plan; within last 5 years
2021-12-122021-12-10DR-4630-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and TornadoesTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding, Strong Wind$10,806,881.45in the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2021-12-112021-12-10EM-3575-KYEmergencySevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and TornadoesTornado (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding, Strong Windno Public Assistance recordedin the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 yearssame incident as DR-4630
2021-04-232021-02-27DR-4595-KYMajor disasterSevere, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: LandslidePA not declared for this county
2020-03-282020-01-20DR-4497-KYMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$4,976,369.99
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3469-KYEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4497
2010-05-112010-05-01DR-1912-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Landslide; Tornado$677,093.12
2009-02-052009-01-26DR-1818-KYMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and FloodingIce Storm$161,520.47
2009-01-282009-01-27EM-3302-KYEmergencySevere Winter StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1818
2005-09-102005-08-29EM-3231-KYEmergencyHurricane KatrinaHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-08-062004-07-13DR-1537-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$272,080.04
1998-04-291998-04-16DR-1216-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes,and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1997-03-041997-03-01DR-1163-KYMajor disasterSevere Storm, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1996-01-131996-01-05DR-1089-KYMajor disasterBlizzard of 96Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1994-03-161994-02-09DR-1018-KYMajor disasterSevere Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, SnwWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1993-03-161993-03-13EM-3104-KYEmergencySevere Snowfall & Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1975-03-291975-03-29DR-461-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1974-04-041974-04-04DR-420-KYMajor disasterTornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded
1971-05-101971-05-10DR-305-KYMajor disasterTornadoTornadono Public Assistance recorded
1969-07-151969-07-15DR-265-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

School districts and special districts in this county: $110,898.58 (included in the county total above). Public Assistance matched by applicant name to the school districts and special districts FEMA lists as plan participants in this county. They have no row of their own in the jurisdiction table, so their total is listed here. These dollars are already included in the county PA column of the declarations table (the FEMA record places each applicant in this county), so this line is not added to it.

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1964-03-171964-03-17DR-163-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1963-03-131963-03-13DR-148-KYMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1962-03-121962-03-12DR-128-KYMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1957-01-311957-01-31DR-66-KYMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave3101001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 3 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail13120121001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm1000101996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding1037071241996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000751996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 7 federal declared incidents (see declarations table)
Lightning4000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind326341549651955 to 2026-06-30Includes 5 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records.
Tornado333471041950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather24325411996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2021-12-11TornadoEF3, 25.7 mi within this county, 440 yd wideproperty not reported; $0 crops (2021 dollars)16, 63PETROS to SMITHS GROVEin the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 yearsdeaths or injuries recorded
2019-07-22Lightning$100,000 property; $0 crops (2019 dollars)0, 0THREE SPGSB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2013-01-25Winter Weather$40,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2013 dollars)0, 0NWS zone KYZ071 (WARREN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2012-06-28Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)0, 0NWS zone KYZ071 (WARREN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2009-02-11High Wind63 kt (72 mph) measured gustdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone KYZ071 (WARREN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2000-07-11Thunderstorm Wind90 kt (104 mph) estimateddamage not reported0, 0BOWLING GREENB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
1998-11-10High Windspeed not recorded$10,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1998 dollars)0, 0NWS zone KYZ071 (WARREN), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-04-16Hail2.75 in$510,000,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)0, 0BOWLING GREENB1-c most damaging: Hail
1997-03-01Flash Flooddamage not reported1, 0COUNTYWIDEdeaths or injuries recorded
1997-03-01Flood$3,000,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1997 dollars)0, 0NWS zone KYZ071 (WARREN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1974-04-03TornadoF3, 17.2 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 33 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)2, 45location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1969-04-18Hail3 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (626 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

FEMA's declaration data list no tribal or special-area declarations for this state.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave0.895event-days per yearabout 0.895 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)172005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought2.43event-days per yearabout 2.43 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)772000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.00341annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.341%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.14events per yearabout 3.14 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)119.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave6.11event-days per yearabout 6.11 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)912005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.0101events per yearabout 1 in 99 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)21851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.736event-days per yearabout 0.736 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)501946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding2.54event-days per yearabout 2.54 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 26 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (86.7%)711996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.487events per year (modeled)about 1 in 2 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning55.1days per year with a strikeabout 55.1 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind6.09events per yearabout 6.09 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)2321986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.415events per yearabout 1 in 2 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000674annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00674%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather7event-days per yearabout 7 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 14 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (46.7%)1332005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202566302.2
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20257300.233
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 2025232307.73
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202521300.7
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20253300.1
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202514300.467
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20254300.133
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave27 of 2745.274.585.3Relatively High 8, Relatively Moderate 18, Relatively Low 1
Drought19 of 2768.780.091.8Relatively Low 12, Very Low 7, No Rating 8
Earthquake27 of 2764.778.487.7Relatively Moderate 15, Relatively Low 12
Hail27 of 2798.099.699.9Very High 26, Relatively High 1
Heat Wave27 of 2730.268.081.8Relatively Moderate 21, Relatively Low 6
Hurricane27 of 2729.937.645.5Very Low 27
Ice Storm27 of 2778.391.295.6Relatively High 16, Relatively Moderate 11
Inland Flooding27 of 2710.772.699.2Very High 2, Relatively High 9, Relatively Moderate 12, Relatively Low 3, Very Low 1
Landslide27 of 279.719.088.1Relatively Low 1, Very Low 26
Lightning27 of 2739.275.988.5Relatively High 8, Relatively Moderate 18, Relatively Low 1
Strong Wind27 of 2747.678.487.9Relatively High 6, Relatively Moderate 20, Relatively Low 1
Tornado27 of 2764.290.897.5Very High 8, Relatively High 17, Relatively Moderate 2
Wildfire27 of 2719.549.962.8Very Low 27
Winter Weather27 of 2748.273.584.8Relatively High 4, Relatively Moderate 22, Relatively Low 1

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Warren County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 2, SRL 1; any 8$81,931.110 total; 0 since its plan
Bowling Green cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 4$5,442,950.09174 total; 9 since its planIncludes $45,647.45 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4497-KY).
Oakland cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded10 total; 2 since its plan
Plum Springs cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Smiths Grove cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded24 total; 3 since its plan
Woodburn cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded16 total; 2 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2022-09-16county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$412$31,582$3,571,571under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$69,942,732n/an/a$99,286n/a0.142% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$50,050,177,862n/a134,554$4,302,840n/a$1,923,1100.0086%
Hail$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$22,491,234$7,351$55,3440.0813%$0
Heat Wave$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$256$237$1,779,945under 0.0001%
Hurricane$26,693,400,614$135,866,810131,119$37,683$7,602$5800.000141%
Ice Storm$27,658,354,174n/a134,482$881,327n/a$138,3920.00319%
Inland Flooding$27,651,784,894$12,320,4081,110$31,604,903$47,705$620,994n/a (see note)$20,000$1,662,291.14NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$376,609,848n/a1,752$119n/a$423under 0.0001%$2,250,419.53
Lightning$27,658,354,174n/a134,482$55,075n/a$602,9050.000199%
Strong Wind$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$267,097$79,084$964,2670.000966%$0$0$2,250,419.53
Tornado$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$3,108,684$8,183$7,039,6950.0112%$0$2,250,419.53
Wildfire$4,016,779,949$18,699,45124,480$5,898$10$1,3240.000147%
Winter Weather$27,658,354,174$142,795,011134,482$78,227$540$102,4110.000283%no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)

Totals since 2022-09-16 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 61 county-coded records, 26 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $20,000; 7 zone-level records, 1 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $2,250,419.53 on 7 counted declarations, 4 of them with Public Assistance.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population134,482
Building value (total, not at risk)$27,658,354,174
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$142,795,011
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Moderate
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$63,115,336
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$16,800,960
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)2Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)1
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition12Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition1

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total211211206
of which: Bowling Green city0040403
of which: Warren County (unincorporated area)2181803

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Warren County (unincorporated area)2103122181803
Bowling Green city2102190040403
Oakland city2103670000000
Plum Springs city2103680000000
Smiths Grove city2103690000000
Woodburn city2103700000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential211011005
2 to 4 unit residential0010100
other residential0000000
non-residential0010101
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 10 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Warren County, KY: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 21227). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ky/21227/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]