54 flood insurance claims·$362,464 paid·12 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 Leslie 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 floods dominate the flood history of Leslie County, with NOAA records documenting 35 flash flood events and 31 general flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in two deaths.
Severe impacts are documented in recent historical events, such as the major flooding from late February to early March 2021, when rounds of heavy rain caused some of the most significant flooding in 50 to 60 years and contributed to an estimated $350 to $400 million in damages across eastern Kentucky. Heavy rainfall along the Hal Rogers Parkway and Highway 80 corridor during a May 2020 event also washed away portions of roadway within Leslie County.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in Zone A experienced the highest volume of claims at 45, with an average recorded water depth of 10 inches and an average payout of $4,496. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 6 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and a higher average payout of $25,181. Residents situated in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risks given these historical claim patterns and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Leslie County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
46 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 9 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 1989, with 29 claims and $174,768 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding and Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding.
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.
27 NOAA storm reports from Leslie County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 12 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jul 26, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
66 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 31 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $500 |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | $40,000 |
| Flood | Feb 11, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | $225,000 |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | $15,000 · 2 killed |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2019 | $70,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 27, 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…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2020. Scattered thunderstorms developed very late this afternoon and early evening as a hot and humid airmass remained in place across eastern Kentucky. The hardest hit area by heavy rainfall was along the Hal Rogers Parkway and Highway 80 corridor, stretching from Leslie County to Floyd County.||A portion of Leslie County saw chunks of a roadway washed away, while parts of Perry and Floyd Counties had motorists strande…
Flood · Feb 11, 2020. Beginning Monday, February 10, light rain moved back into eastern Kentucky. This caused additional issues, while another round on Wednesday, February 12 into Thursday, February 13 brought continued river flooding along points on the Kentucky and Cumberland Rivers. Gusty winds up to 40 to 45 mph resulted in an isolated downed tree in the Blackey community of Letcher County due to the saturated nature of the ground,…
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 Leslie 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.