32 flood insurance claims·$467,707 paid·11 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 Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County experiences a nearly even mix of standard riverine floods and flash floods, with 38 flood events and 34 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall associated with low-pressure systems moving into the region can cause rapid high water issues, as occurred during the January 2025 event when persistent rainfall led to impassable roadways across the area before waters receded by early evening.
According to historical National Flood Insurance Program records, properties located in FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest concentration and severity of impacts, accounting for 20 claims with an average payout of $27,019 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone X_UNSHADED (5 claims, averaging $5,321 and 2 inches of water depth), Zone X (4 claims, averaging $10,192 and 8 inches of water depth), Zone X_SHADED (2 claims, averaging $11,035 and 8 inches of water depth), and Zone UNKNOWN (1 claim with $0 payout and 0 inches of water depth).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A, as these areas face the highest frequency and cost of flood claims in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Lawrence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 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 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 7 claims and $108,945 paid, the year of Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and and Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, 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.
54 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
49 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 11 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, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | Dec 31, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
72 since 1996: 34 flash floods and 38 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | $250 |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | $150 |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 8, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | $1,500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. Flooding concerns quickly arose on the morning of January 31st in northeast Kentucky as a low pressure system pressed into the region. Rain first entered into Kentucky around daybreak that morning then continued to be inundated by periods of heavy rainfall through the afternoon. This resulted in impassable roadways due to high water issues across the area. The disturbance departed to the northeast by the second ha…
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2025. On the 17th of July, a cold front approached from the west and then stalled over southeast Ohio and West Virginia, leading to a period of active weather. The boundary eventually slid north as a warm front on the 19th of July while a disturbance passed across the Great Lakes region and took aim for New England. During this time, the Middle Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians remained firmly entrenched in a warm, m…
Flood · Feb 16, 2025. Light showers started to arrive into northeast Kentucky on the evening of February 14th, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. While precipitation coverage eroded from southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia during the afternoon, moderate to heavy rain continued to trail across northeast Kentucky. This precipitation band lifted no…
Flood · Feb 15, 2025. Light showers started to arrive into northeast Kentucky on the evening of February 14th, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. While precipitation coverage eroded from southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia during the afternoon, moderate to heavy rain continued to trail across northeast Kentucky. This precipitation band lifted no…
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 Lawrence 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.