286 flood insurance claims·$2.7M paid·1 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 Kenton 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 scattered summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates Kenton County, supported by NOAA data recording 46 flash flood events alongside 34 general flood events over the last 30 years. These hazards are driven by weather systems such as the low-pressure system that brought occasional showers and thunderstorms on April 11, 2024, and the warm front that dropped two to three inches of rain across the region on February 28, 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest impact, accounting for 197 claims with an average payout of $14,005 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Additional claims have occurred in Zones X, X_Shaded, X_Unshaded, and unknown zones, with Zone X recording an average water depth of 26 inches across 22 claims.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in FEMA Zone A, as well as homes located outside high-risk special flood hazard areas that may still experience localized or deep water accumulation during heavy rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Kenton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
230 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 7 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 1997, with 106 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storm, Flooding, 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Kenton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1996, 1 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, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 21, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Feb 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 12, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 27, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
80 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2023 | $30,000 |
| Flood | May 20, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 24, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours in a warm and humid airmass. Some of the storms produced locally heavy rainfall.
Flood · Aug 6, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall.
Flood · Aug 5, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms produced localized flooding during the afternoon hours.
Flood · Apr 11, 2024. A low pressure system moving through the Ohio River Valley resulted in occasional showers and thunderstorms.
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 Kenton 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.