49 flood insurance claims·$942,857 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 Fleming 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 slow-moving summer storms and heavy rainfall systems dominates the flood risk profile in Fleming County, accounting for 46 out of 63 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 17 general flood events.
Severe weather narratives illustrate these recurring hazards. On August 14, 2021, a stalling cold front and humid airmass generated multiple rounds of heavy rainfall that triggered flash flood warnings. Earlier, on May 18, 2020, a slow-moving low-pressure system dropped widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches across the region, resulting in road closures and low-lying flooding. Saturated soils from previous rainfall further exacerbated conditions during a heavy rain event on December 16, 2019.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that property damage extends across multiple zones. Zone X properties recorded 36 claims with an average payout of $23,005 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone A properties experienced 11 claims with an average payout of $15,110 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED properties recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $31,737 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Residents in mapped flood hazard areas like Zone A—where recorded water depths averaged 19 inches—along with property owners in unshaded and standard Zone X locations, should pay the closest attention to this ongoing flood risk.
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 6 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 2010, with 13 claims and $326,103 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Fleming County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 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, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslide | Jul 11, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 12, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
63 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2020 | $100 |
| Flood | Dec 16, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Sep 24, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Sep 9, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Sep 8, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2021. A cold front slowly dropped into Kentucky during the morning of August 14. It then began to stall out during the day across eastern Kentucky. With a humid airmass in place, this created the instability needed for showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon, producing heavy rainfall and gusty winds. Several flash flood warnings were issued for locations that saw multiple rounds of heavy rainfall. Two…
Flash Flood · May 18, 2020. A slow moving low pressure system drifted across the Ohio Valley on May 18 and 19, bringing several rounds of heavy rain to the eastern reaches of the Commonwealth. The hardest hit areas spanned from the Cumberland Valley to the Bluegrass region where widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 inches fell over the two day period. This caused several road closures and flooding of low lying areas as points on the Red, Kentu…
Flood · Dec 16, 2019. Heavy rainfall occurred across eastern Kentucky on December 16th, following previous rounds of rainfall. Thus, soils were saturated prior to the arrival of an additional 2-3 inches of rain. The heavier rain amounts and associated flooding impacts occurred west of U.S. Highway 23, including the Bluegrass region. A few mudslides were reported across Perry and Breathitt Counties, while Archer Park in Prestonsburg was…
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2019. Thunderstorms developed this afternoon ahead of an approaching cool front and upper level wave of energy. A few of these storms became strong enough to produce severe downburst winds extending from the Bluegrass region to along the Interstate 75 corridor. Additionally, flash flooding was seen in locales due to abundant moisture and heavy rain. The most noteworthy of this flash flooding occurred on Interstate 64 ne…
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 Fleming 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.