100 flood insurance claims·$1.4M paid·4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Bath County, Kentucky. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe summer weather dominates the flood history of Bath County, Kentucky, accounting for 46 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 17 general flood events resulting in 5 deaths. Recent weather patterns driving these incidents include a slow-moving cold front pushing warm, moist tropical air into the region in July 2021, as well as persistent storm showers and outflow boundaries from a cold front in September 2021.
According to FEMA National Flood Insurance Program data, the highest volume of claims occurs in high-risk Zone A with 66 claims, averaging a payout of $16,246 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties categorized under Zone X have also experienced significant impacts, recording 12 claims with an average payout of $34,292 and a higher average recorded water depth of 16 inches. An additional 20 claims are logged under Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $1,604 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $31,141 and an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A floodplains, as well as those in Zone X where average recorded water depths are notably deeper during flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Bath County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
68 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2018, with 22 claims and $386,846 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
28 NOAA storm reports from Bath County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 2, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Feb 29, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
63 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2021 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2021 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2020 | $3,000 · 5 killed |
| Flood | Sep 13, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Dec 30, 2019 | $100 |
| Flood | Dec 30, 2019 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2021. A strong low pressure system was present over the Great Lakes region to start the day on July 29th. From this extended a cold front to the southwest. As the low pressure continued eastward throughout the day, the cold front slowly shifted farther southward, before becoming elongated and slowing just north of the Ohio River. This kept much of Kentucky in the warm sector, with a strong push of warm/moist tropical ai…
Flash Flood · Sep 15, 2021. A strong occluded low pressure system was located in southeast Canada, resulting in scattered severe weather along the associated cold front across much of the northeast throughout the day. This same cold front extended southwestward and was approaching the Commonwealth throughout the overnight and morning hours on Wednesday. Storms that developed along the front surged into eastern KY, creating an outflow boundar…
Flood · Apr 29, 2020. An intense area of low pressure moved into the lower Great Lakes region early this day, subsequently producing gusty south to southwest winds across much of eastern Kentucky during the late morning to early afternoon. Several gusts of 40+ mph were measured, while a couple of reports of trees downed were also received (near Williamsburg in Whitley County and near Glencairn in Wolfe County).||Here are some of the wi…
Flood · Sep 13, 2020. Deep moisture anchored across east Kentucky, combined with a stalled frontal boundary, then a cold front, led to several rounds of heavy rain from the evening of September 12th through the early afternoon hours on September 13th. This rain led to many reports of flooding and flash flooding, with several water rescues occurring during the late evening hours of September 12th. Rainfall amounts ranged from 2 to 5.5 i…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Bath County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.