Enter any address in Harrison County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the primary flood hazard in Harrison County. Recent examples include events in January 2023 and July 2023, where strong weather systems brought widespread heavy rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $24,315 for a water depth of 3.0 feet. However, properties in Zone X and Zone X_UNSHADED have seen higher average payouts, $55,974 and $12,361 respectively, with significantly deeper average water depths of 14.5 feet and 12.0 feet. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zones X and X_UNSHADED, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
19 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Harrison County, Kentucky has recorded 46 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 33 flash floods and 13 river or area floods. The county has received 24 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 (1974–2026)
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 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 1, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 25, 2018 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 27, 2023
Northwest flow in the mid- and upper-levels of the atmosphere placed central Kentucky and southern Indiana on the edge of a ring of fire type pattern for several days at the end of July 2023. While most of the waves of convection remained to the north of the area thanks to building ridging aloft July 27th into the 28th, thunderstorms on July 27th clipped the Kentucky Bluegrass region. The prima...
Flash Flood — Jan 3, 2023
During the overnight hours and into the morning on January 3rd, a strong system moved across central Kentucky, bringing isolated damaging wind gusts and widespread heavy rainfall. The system was associated with a negatively-tilted upper-level trough which moved from the Four Corners region on January 2nd to the upper Midwest by January 4th. A surface cyclone transited in a similar fashion to th...
Flash Flood — May 6, 2022
During the morning hours of May 5th, a surface warm front moved northward through central Kentucky before becoming nearly stationary near the Ohio River. South of this boundary, the atmosphere destabilized during the afternoon hours, allowing for clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms. Rain persisted across the region overnight from the 5th into the morning of the 6th as the surface low mov...
Flood — Feb 28, 2021
A stalled frontal boundary brought waves of heavy rainfall to central Kentucky from February 26 through February 28. This caused record rainfall, isolated severe winds, and even a tornado. As a result, Bowling Green set a February daily rainfall record with 5.11 on the 28th. The severe winds brought down some trees and a power pole, but the most property damage came from a brief EF1 tornado.
Flash Flood — May 24, 2020
May 23, warmer temperatures surged into central Kentucky and southern Indiana behind a northward moving warm front. The surge of warm moist air resulted in scattered thunderstorms producing wind damage that occurred for three days from Logan County to the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Besides mostly tree damage, there were reports of severe hail and isolated flooding.
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 Harrison 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 Harrison 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.