Enter any address in Bourbon County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is a significant concern in Bourbon County, KY. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 63 flood events and 25 flash flood events in the county, resulting in 2 fatalities. For example, widespread flooding occurred on May 19, 2020, following severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. More recently, on January 3, 2023, a strong weather system brought heavy rainfall and isolated damaging wind gusts, contributing to flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $18,396 and an average water depth of 11.0 feet. Properties in Zone X_UNSHADED also show a high average payout of $19,431, with an average water depth of 10.9 feet, despite not being in a high-risk flood zone. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
19 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Bourbon County, Kentucky has recorded 88 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 25 flash floods and 63 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1978–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Severe Storm | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Apr 2, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 1, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2018 | 15.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 31, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 25, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2017 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jan 3, 2023
During the overnight hours and into the morning on January 3rd, a strong system moved across central Kentucky, bringing isolated damaging wind gusts and widespread heavy rainfall. The system was associated with a negatively-tilted upper-level trough which moved from the Four Corners region on January 2nd to the upper Midwest by January 4th. A surface cyclone transited in a similar fashion to th...
Flash Flood — May 19, 2020
May 18, the Lower Ohio Valley was primed with a moist atmosphere that was in place from southerly surface flow from the Gulf of Mexico, and as a cold front moved through the region, severe thunderstorms caused tree damage and isolated flooding. On the 19th, the flooding became more widespread as heavy rain was produced from outflow boundaries remaining in the region from the previous day's storms.
Flood — Feb 20, 2019
On February 19, 2019, a broad upper trough dipped south to the Gulf of Mexico and carried abundant amounts of moisture towards the Ohio Valley. Once the moisture was transport was underway, isentropic lift caused 1.5 to 3 of rainfall along the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. The higher amounts went as far north as south central Indiana.||On the 20th, an upper trough axis and cold front push...
Flash Flood — Jul 3, 2019
Central Kentucky was sitting under an upper ridge in an area of high pressure. The air mass over Kentucky was moisture rich but contained little shear. This resulted in an environment conducive to disorganized severe weather, and that's what happened with the diurnal heating of the day. Outflow boundaries provided forcing to initiate further convection which resulted in tree damage and localize...
Flood — Sep 23, 2018
On the afternoon of September 22nd, a flash flood watch was issued to cover southeast Indiana and areas in and around the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky.||By September 23rd, a cold front stretched west to east from western Tennessee to far |east-central Kentucky on through eastern Kentucky. The front was tilted northward with the 700 mb level of the front just north of the Ohio River. Low level n...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Bourbon County, Kentucky:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Bourbon County, Kentucky that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.