Enter any address in Breathitt County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from intense thunderstorms is the primary flood hazard in Breathitt County, KY, with 80 recorded events in the last 30 years resulting in 11 fatalities. General flooding events have also occurred, with 57 events and 1 death. Recent severe weather in May 2025 brought heavy rainfall and damaging winds to Eastern Kentucky, impacting areas like London. Another event in April 2025 involved a nocturnal convective squall line moving through the region.
NFIP claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $37,228 and an average water depth of 3.7 feet. While Zone X has fewer claims, the average payout is significantly higher at $88,078, with an average water depth of 2.1 feet. Residents in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
60 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Breathitt County, Kentucky has recorded 137 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 80 flash floods and 57 river or area floods. The county has received 49 federal disaster declarations, 14 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1967–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 16, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Severe Storm | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Jul 26, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | Severe Storm | Dec 31, 2021 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 17, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 16, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 28, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2022 | 0.00K (11 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 1, 2022 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 1, 2022 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 1, 2022 | 60.00K |
Flood — May 17, 2025
Eastern Kentucky experienced multiple rounds of severe weather from May 16th into the early morning hours of May 17th.||The initial round of severe weather, occurring during the morning and early afternoon, produced swaths of large to significant hail (approaching baseball size), localized damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. Notably, intense thunderstorm wind gusts impacted downtown London, tea...
Flash Flood — May 16, 2025
Eastern Kentucky experienced multiple rounds of severe weather from May 16th into the early morning hours of May 17th.||The initial round of severe weather, occurring during the morning and early afternoon, produced swaths of large to significant hail (approaching baseball size), localized damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. Notably, intense thunderstorm wind gusts impacted downtown London, tea...
Flood — May 16, 2025
Eastern Kentucky experienced multiple rounds of severe weather from May 16th into the early morning hours of May 17th.||The initial round of severe weather, occurring during the morning and early afternoon, produced swaths of large to significant hail (approaching baseball size), localized damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. Notably, intense thunderstorm wind gusts impacted downtown London, tea...
Flash Flood — Apr 4, 2025
On the afternoon of the 2nd a strong surface low was located over the MN/WI area, with a warm front extending southwest through the OH valley, and a trailing cold front extending SSE through the Ozarks. By 00Z (the evening of the 2nd), a strong convective squall line had developed across the Ohio and Mississippi Valley which slowly continued east through the evening. By early morning on the 3rd...
Flood — Jul 28, 2022
Between July 25th and July 30th, 2022, several complexes of training thunderstorms developed south of I-64 and brought heavy rain, deadly flash flooding, and devastating river flooding to eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia. These thunderstorms, at times, caused rainfall rates in excess of 4/hr across complex terrain that led to widespread devastating impacts. While it did not rain continuo...
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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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.