12 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·2 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 Laurel 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 heavy storms dominates the flood risk profile in Laurel County, Kentucky, accounting for 59 out of 82 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 23 general flood events. This risk is driven by slow-moving showers, thunderstorms, and frontal boundaries pumping moisture into the region, which frequently results in localized flooding during the overnight and early morning hours.
Recent weather data illustrates this recurring pattern. An overnight storm on May 25, 2024, produced isolated flash flooding and downed trees following a cold front. Similarly, slow-moving showers and storms driven by a lingering frontal boundary caused localized flooding overnight on May 9, 2023, while high moisture and weak upper-level winds led to persistent, heavy rainfall throughout the day on August 6, 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across different zones with varying impacts. Properties in high-risk Zone A recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $157,398 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $87,102 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A) as well as those situated in moderate-to-low risk areas (Zone X) where unexpected water accumulation can still result in significant damage claims.
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 2 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 2021, with 5 claims and $723,813 paid, the year of Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Laurel County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 2 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, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 27, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 23 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2024. With yet another strong occluded low located across the north-central Conus, and a cold front stretching southward through the Mississippi Valley, Kentucky found itself in a warm and unstable airmass. Despite the overnight hours and cooling temps, storms persisted in parts of the Jackson, KY county warning area. One of these storms moved through Laurel County, resulting in a downed tree and isolated flash flooding…
Flash Flood · May 9, 2023. A low pressure system and frontal boundary were slowly sinking southward into the Commonwealth during the overnight hours from May 8th through May 9th. A line of storms had dropped southward of the frontal boundary, creating an outflow boundary pushing southeast. The frontal boundary eventually sped up some in the morning of the 9th and throughout the day, but during the overnight hours, the showers and storms tha…
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…
Flood · Mar 28, 2021. A warm front lifted north into the state Saturday, allowing for an intensification of moisture advection into the area. This was then followed up by a passing cold front and associated cold front, both of which provided lift and helped provide heavy rains across the state. While instability was limited, there was some severe thunderstorms which produced hail during the morning hours of Saturday, March 27th. The ma…
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 Laurel 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.