113 flood insurance claims·$2.0M paid
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 Bracken 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.
Flooding in Bracken County is primarily driven by general floods and flash floods resulting from heavy rainfall, frontal boundaries, and thunderstorms moving through the Ohio Valley. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 20 flood events and 18 flash flood events, which resulted in 1 death. Recent occurrences include widespread flooding produced by 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain on February 17, 2022, as well as localized flooding from thunderstorms on July 17, 2025, and waves of low pressure along a stalled frontal boundary on April 5, 2025.
Federal Emergency Management Agency insurance claims data shows that risk is concentrated in specific hazard zones. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 91 filings, averaging $22,423 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 20 claims with an average payout of $1,743 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $30,178 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate professionals with properties located in FEMA Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as this zone accounts for the vast majority of historical insurance claims and recorded water depths in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Bracken County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
91 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 3 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 1997, with 74 claims and $1.8M paid, the year of Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Bracken County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1968.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslide | Jul 11, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 12, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Tornadoes | May 1, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 17, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2020 | $20,000 |
| Flood | May 25, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 17, 2025. A cold front moved through the Tri-State during the afternoon hours on the 17th, forcing showers and thunderstorms out ahead of it. Some storms produced heavy rainfall and localized flooding.
Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Widespread showers and thunderstorms occurred across the region as waves of low pressure moved east along a frontal boundary that was stalled out along the Ohio River.
Flash Flood · Jan 3, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed during the morning hours ahead of a low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley.
Flood · Feb 17, 2022. Rain overspread the region through the day ahead of a low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley. Rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 2.5 inches produced widespread flooding.
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 Bracken 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.