28 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·3 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 Calloway 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 dominates the flood character of Calloway County, accounting for 61 of the 91 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database. This risk is driven by heavy rainfall events, such as the system on January 30, 2025, which brought widespread 3 to 4 inch storm totals and stranded several vehicles on Hopkins Road. Another significant heavy rain event occurred on February 15, 2025, bringing waves of steady precipitation that targeted Murray with 1 to 2 inches of rain.
Federal insurance claims data demonstrates that flood risks impact properties across different zones with varying severity. Zone A recorded 17 claims with an average payout of $8,044 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 9 claims with an average payout of $114,610 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X unshaded recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $71,147 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, which accounts for the highest frequency of claims, as well as properties in Zone X where lower average water depths still resulted in substantially higher average claim payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
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 2016, with 5 claims and $420,647 paid, the year of Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
47 NOAA storm reports from Calloway County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 3 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, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 27, 2021 |
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jul 2, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
91 since 1996: 61 flash floods and 30 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 2, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 30, 2025. A low pressure system pushing northeastward through the Quad State region brought moderate to heavy rain to Western Kentucky for the midday through evening hours. Flash flood and areal flood issues developed late afternoon to early evening in the Purchase Area and Southern Pennyrile where widespread 3 to 4 inch storm total precipitation observations occurred. A water rescue occurred near the Graves/Hickman County…
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��� in the pre-d…
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��� in the pre-d…
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��� in the pre-d…
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 Calloway 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.