Enter any address in Caldwell County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from intense thunderstorms is the primary flood hazard in Caldwell County, KY. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 21 flash flood events and 12 flood events, resulting in two fatalities. Recent examples include flash flooding in August 2023 due to a slow-moving thunderstorm complex, and intense thunderstorm cells causing heavy rainfall and flash flooding in July 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that while Zone A properties have experienced a higher volume of claims, properties in Zone X_UNSHADED have seen significantly higher average payouts, suggesting substantial damage can occur even outside of high-risk flood zones. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X, should pay close attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
18 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Caldwell County, Kentucky has recorded 33 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 21 flash floods and 12 river or area floods. The county has received 27 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1989–2026)
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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Tornado | Dec 10, 2021 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | 0.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2021 | 30.00K |
| Flood | Dec 31, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2018 | 200.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2016 | 30.00K |
Flood — Feb 16, 2025
Significant flash flooding occurred over west Kentucky, as anomalously high amounts of low-level moisture streamed northward over a warm front that became stationary along the Tennessee border. Steady rains began just after 0000CST on the 15th and continued until around 0100CST on the 16th. The rain came in waves with the first one targeting Fulton, Murray, Fort Campbell, and Guthrie with 1-2�...
Flash Flood — Feb 15, 2025
Significant flash flooding occurred over west Kentucky, as anomalously high amounts of low-level moisture streamed northward over a warm front that became stationary along the Tennessee border. Steady rains began just after 0000CST on the 15th and continued until around 0100CST on the 16th. The rain came in waves with the first one targeting Fulton, Murray, Fort Campbell, and Guthrie with 1-2�...
Flash Flood — Aug 27, 2023
A small thunderstorm complex over the Pennyrile region of western Kentucky slowed down and intensified during the morning. A very well-defined and slow-moving mesoscale convective vortex over southeast Missouri drifted off to the southeast through the morning hours, tracking into western Kentucky by midday. This system interacted with a very moist and modestly unstable air mass, resulting in he...
Flash Flood — Jul 24, 2023
Clusters of intense thunderstorm cells rapidly formed in a strongly unstable air mass during the heat of the afternoon. The most intense cells merged into a small severe thunderstorm complex around the northern end of the Land Between The Lakes area (Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley). This complex was associated with sporadic large hail and damaging winds from southern Livingston County eastward ...
Flash Flood — Feb 16, 2023
Widespread rain with numerous embedded thunderstorms persisted through the overnight hours of the 15th into the early morning hours of the 16th. Locally heavy rainfall caused some pockets of flash flooding of roads and low spots. A surface low pressure system moved northeast across Arkansas along a warm front that extended northeast through the lower Ohio Valley. Rainfall became widespread alon...
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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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.