26 flood insurance claims·$362,207 paid·6 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 Jackson 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 and river flooding driven by heavy rainfall dominate the flood risk in Jackson County, Kentucky, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 33 flash flood events and 27 flood events over the last 30 years.
Significant historical events illustrate this risk. In August 2022, slow-moving showers and thunderstorms produced flash flooding driven by ample moisture and warm air pumped northward from the Gulf of Mexico under weak upper-level flow. Earlier, a multi-day series of heavy rainstorms from late February to early March 2021 brought some of the most significant flooding seen in 50 to 60 years or more to central and eastern Kentucky, resulting in $350 to $400 million in estimated damages.
FEMA claim data demonstrates that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 18 claims averaging $12,836 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 4 claims with a higher average payout of $53,032 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, alongside 4 claims in Zone UNKNOWN averaging $3,524 with a 2-inch average water depth. Residents in identified special flood hazard areas like Zone A, as well as property owners in Zone X experiencing higher payout severity, should pay close attention to this 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 4 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 2003, with 4 claims and $60,164 paid.
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 Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
35 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 6 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.
60 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 27 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2020 | $35,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 6, 2022. With a high pressure center sitting east of the state, Kentucky, along with much of the Deep South found themselves in a strong return flow pattern. This consisted of S to SW winds which were able to pump in ample moisture and warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. However, with no boundaries or airmass changes nearby, the flow aloft was not very strong. High moisture and weak flow materialized into slow moving showers…
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2021. A strong low pressure system was present over the Great Lakes region to start the day on July 29th. From this extended a cold front to the southwest. As the low pressure continued eastward throughout the day, the cold front slowly shifted farther southward, before becoming elongated and slowing just north of the Ohio River. This kept much of Kentucky in the warm sector, with a strong push of warm/moist tropical ai…
Flash 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…
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 Jackson 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.