462 flood insurance claims·$6.6M paid·9 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 Martin 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 general flooding from storms evenly dominate the flood history of Martin County, with NOAA records showing 31 flash flood events and 29 flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include heavy rains from an approaching cold front causing streams to run high and isolated flooding in July 2023, as well as strong showers and thunderstorms driven by a warm front and low pressure system that brought flooding in May 2022.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone UNKNOWN recorded the highest claim count with 210 claims averaging a $9,330 payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. High-risk Zone A properties filed 118 claims with an average payout of $31,278 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Additionally, properties in shaded Zone X, unshaded Zone X, and Zone X experienced dozens of claims with average payouts ranging between $13,281 and $18,570, and average recorded water depths between 7 and 14 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone UNKNOWN and Zone A, where claim frequencies and average severity are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
44% of Martin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
210 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 8 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 1984, with 125 claims and $1.1M paid, the year of High Winds, Tornadoes & 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Martin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
37 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 9 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jul 26, 2022 |
| Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 27, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
60 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 29 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 15, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jul 22, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. On the afternoon of the 2nd a strong surface low was located over the MN/WI area, with a warm front extending southwest through the OH valley, and a trailing cold front extending SSE through the Ozarks. By 00Z (the evening of the 2nd), a strong convective squall line had developed across the Ohio and Mississippi Valley which slowly continued east through the evening. By early morning on the 3rd this strong, noctur…
Flood · Jul 15, 2023. As a cold front approached from the west throughout the day, showers and storms were on tap for portions of eastern Kentucky. While these storms did not become severe or cause much impact from the winds or hail, they did put down some heavy rains. This led to 2 isolated reports of flooding in both Martin and Knott counties due to streams running high.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2022. Between July 25th and July 30th, 2022, several complexes of training thunderstorms developed south of I-64 and brought heavy rain, deadly flash flooding, and devastating river flooding to eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia. These thunderstorms, at times, caused rainfall rates in excess of 4/hr across complex terrain that led to widespread devastating impacts. While it did not rain continuously during this 4-d…
Flash Flood · May 6, 2022. A warm front was in place across the state during the morning hours on May 6th, setting the stage for increased moisture and warm air into the region. By the afternoon, a nearby low pressure system began to occlude, furthering the lift and instability across the state. Showers and thunderstorms developed across much of the region throughout the day, becoming strong to severe by mid-day. Flooding and wind damage wa…
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 Martin 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.