138 flood insurance claims·$3.4M paid·5 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 Madison 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 severe storms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Madison County, Kentucky. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 61 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, compared to 22 general flood events resulting in 1 death.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this hazard. In April 2025, a slow-moving cold front stalled over the lower Ohio Valley, producing all-night supercells and storms that left structural damage across central Kentucky. Earlier, in February 2021, a stalled frontal boundary brought waves of heavy rainfall to the region, generating record rainfall and severe weather.
Property damage and insurance claims occur across multiple flood zones. FEMA records show 71 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $31,457 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Additionally, Zone X accounts for 56 claims with an average payout of $31,609 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 7 claims averaging $4,225 with an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 4 claims averaging $5,784 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A and Zone X, where claims and recorded water depths are substantially higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Madison County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
78 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 10 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 2010, with 33 claims and $822,026 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes and Severe Storms, Flooding, 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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 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, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 27, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 6, 2019 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 61 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 30, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Nov 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. On the night of April 2nd, 2025, a cold front approached the lower Ohio Valley. Along and ahead of the cold front, numerous supercells developed over southern Illinois and western Kentucky. These storms tracked eastward and occasionally grew upscale into a QLCS with bowing segments. Storms lasted all night and into the morning hours, as the cold front began to stall over the lower Ohio Valley. These storms left be…
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2021. Scattered thunderstorms, ahead of a could front, drifted south through southern Indiana and the Bluegrass region of Kentucky in an unstable environment. Some of these storms became severe causing isolated tree damage and flash flooding in Kentucky counties. The most severe flooding was in Carlisle, Kentucky after heavy rainfall continued falling over the same area. Several buildings and vehicles were destroyed, an…
Flood · Feb 28, 2021. A stalled frontal boundary brought waves of heavy rainfall to central Kentucky from February 26 through February 28. This caused record rainfall, isolated severe winds, and even a tornado. As a result, Bowling Green set a February daily rainfall record with 5.11 on the 28th. The severe winds brought down some trees and a power pole, but the most property damage came from a brief EF1 tornado.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2021. Early on July 1st, there was a moist unstable air mass over southern Indiana and central Kentucky. Farther north in Indiana, a west to east oriented cold front was working its way south. This resulted in heavy rainfall and area flash flooding over central Kentucky as the front moved through the region. A Flash Flood Watch was in place before the event.
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 Madison 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.