24 flood insurance claims·$497,443 paid·3 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 Livingston 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.
River flooding and standard flooding dominate Livingston County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 51 flood events compared to 22 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall across regional river valleys frequently causes significant rises along major waterways, impacting local infrastructure and low-lying areas. For example, a February 2022 event brought 3 to 5 inches of rain that caused flash flooding of creeks and subsequent river overflow, closing flood-prone routes such as Kentucky 137 near Bayou. Heavy rainfall in February 2025 produced two waves of precipitation totaling 2 to 7 inches, resulting in minor flooding along the Ohio River that affected the Smithland area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims occur across multiple flood zones. Zone A accounts for 10 claims with an average payout of $25,527 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X accounts for 8 claims with an average payout of $18,304 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X Unshaded records 3 claims with an average payout of $45,795 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties with unknown zone designations account for 3 claims averaging $730 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Property owners and prospective buyers located near rivers and within mapped or unshaded flood zones should pay the closest attention to these historical flood risks.
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 1 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 2011, with 10 claims and $223,836 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and 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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Livingston County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 3 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 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
73 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 51 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Mar 3, 2021 | $6,000 |
| Flood | Mar 23, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 17, 2025. Two waves of heavy rainfall (2-7) over the Ohio, Tennessee, and Green River Valleys on the 15th resulted in minor flooding along a large portion of the Ohio River, including the Evansville, Henderson, Golconda, Smithland, and Cairo areas. Minor and moderate flooding occurred around Owensboro, Paducah, and Olmsted. The river crested at moderate flood levels at Owensboro (44.1 feet), Paducah (43.2 feet), and Olmsted…
Flood · Feb 22, 2022. Several rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the region on the 17th. Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches created pockets of road flooding, along with flash flooding of creeks that affected several dwellings. Larger rivers rose out of their banks in subsequent days. The heavy rain occurred ahead of a cold front as it entered southeast Missouri and southern Illinois from the northwest. Weak waves of low pressur…
Flood · Mar 1, 2022. River flooding continued from February into mid March. During March, the flooding was minor on the Green River and most of the Ohio River except moderate near the Paducah gage. A few of the most flood-prone roads in the flood plain were closed, such as Kentucky 137 near Bayou in Livingston County and Highway 667 in Union County. Low-lying fields and woodlands were inundated, primarily dormant cropland. The floodin…
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2021. Clusters of thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon hours, then moved east into western Kentucky in the evening. Some of the largest clusters were associated with sporadic gusty winds in the 40 to 60 mph range. By late evening, storms became widespread, resulting in significant flash flooding which continued through the overnight hours. The storm complex occurred ahead of a mid-level shortwave trough mov…
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 Livingston 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.