Enter any address in Franklin County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Franklin County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 36 flash flood events and 20 flood events. Recent examples include minor flooding from heavy rainfall on May 14, 2022, and widespread convection causing locally heavy rainfall on September 3, 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $21,544 for 2.7 feet of water. However, properties in Zone X, despite having fewer claims, show a significantly higher average payout of $31,452, with an average water depth of 2.6 feet. Homeowners in Zone A, and those in Zone X with higher average payouts, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
25 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Franklin County, Kentucky has recorded 56 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 36 flash floods and 20 river or area floods. The county has received 27 federal disaster declarations, 6 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1972–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| 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, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 27, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | 0.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Dec 11, 2021 | 0.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 6, 2018 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Apr 4, 2025
On the night of April 2nd, 2025, a cold front approached the lower Ohio Valley. Along and ahead of the cold front, numerous supercells developed over southern Illinois and western Kentucky. These storms tracked eastward and occasionally grew upscale into a QLCS with bowing segments. Storms lasted all night and into the morning hours, as the cold front began to stall over the lower Ohio Valley. ...
Flash Flood — May 14, 2022
Scattered clusters of showers and thunderstorms developed in the afternoon hours ahead of a weakening stationary front oriented north to south across the lower Midwest. Storms fed off of diurnal instability and gradually moved southward from southern Indiana into the Louisville metro, where they intensified enough to cause scattered wind damage. Minor flooding occurred as a result of heavy rain...
Flash Flood — Aug 10, 2022
On August 9th and 10th, a quasi-stationary surface front meandered along the Ohio River, serving as a focus for the development of daytime showers and thunderstorms. Immediately south of the surface boundary, an unusually moist environment was present, with precipitable water values exceeding 2 inches across central Kentucky. As a result, as modest instability developed during the afternoon hou...
Flash Flood — Sep 3, 2022
During the afternoon and evening hours on September 3rd, a combination of ample moisture and sufficient instability provided the necessary ingredients for widespread convection, resulting in locally heavy rainfall and isolated wind damage reports. On the synoptic scale, a weak mid-level disturbance was located across the mid-Mississippi Valley, with a surface low located across western Kentucky...
Flash Flood — Aug 19, 2021
Surface high pressure was sitting over the Lower Ohio Valley, but as an upper shortwave and trough passed overhead, it provided the forcing to drive slow moving efficient rainfall. This produced a couple reports of isolated flooding over the two day period.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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.