66 flood insurance claims·$697,080 paid·9 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 Clay 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 from training thunderstorms and heavy rain events dominates the flood history of Clay County, Kentucky. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 41 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, alongside 26 general flood events. Recent activity includes severe flash flooding in July 2022, part of a multi-day regional event fueled by training thunderstorms that brought heavy rain and devastating impacts to eastern Kentucky, as well as heavy rain and flooding driven by a passing cold front in March 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A face the highest risk and frequency, accounting for 54 claims with an average payout of $14,397 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. By comparison, Zone X properties have recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $6,187 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while unknown zones account for 4 claims averaging $7,132 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A, where historical claim frequency and average payout amounts are substantially higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Clay County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
54 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 2 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 1989, with 21 claims and $123,889 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding and Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding.
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.
29 NOAA storm reports from Clay County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
47 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 16, 2025 |
| 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
67 since 1996: 41 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2022 | — · 3 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2022 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2021 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash 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 continuously during this 4-d…
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2022. Kentucky was experiencing warm and moist SW flow heading through the day on July 5, while flow in the mid and upper levels was more westerly. While no forcing mechanism was in place across the state )as far as low pressure center, shortwave, or frontal boundary) and the better severe weather concerns were concentrated well to our NW, the low level wind sheer and decent Cape values were enough to create good boyanc…
Flash Flood · Mar 28, 2021. A warm front lifted north into the state Saturday, allowing for an intensification of moisture advection into the area. This was then followed up by a passing cold front and associated cold front, both of which provided lift and helped provide heavy rains across the state. While instability was limited, there was some severe thunderstorms which produced hail during the morning hours of Saturday, March 27th. The ma…
Flood · Feb 28, 2021. Several rounds of heavy rain moved across eastern Kentucky from late Friday, February 26th through early Monday, March 1st. The combination of all the heavy rainfall led to significant flooding across a good portion of central and east Kentucky. For some areas, this was the most significant flooding in the last 50 to 60 years, or more. FEMA estimates that this event cost $350-400 million dollars in damages, incl…
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 Clay 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.