Enter any address in Meade County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from severe thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Meade County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 20 flash flood events and 9 general flood events. Recent examples include flash flooding on January 3rd, 2023, and multiple flash flood events in early April 2025, associated with severe thunderstorms and a stalling cold front.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most significant flood damage, with an average payout of $89,913 and an average water depth of 2.2 feet. Properties in Zone X have also filed claims, averaging $9,602 with 0.8 feet of water. Residents in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and any properties without a defined Base Flood Elevation (BFE), should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
12 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Meade County, Kentucky has recorded 29 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 20 flash floods and 9 river or area floods. The county has received 24 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1974–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Severe Storm | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Tornado | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 12, 2011 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 30, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 25, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2015 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 27, 2014 | 0.00K |
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. ...
Flash Flood — Apr 4, 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. ...
Flash Flood — Apr 3, 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. ...
Flash Flood — Jan 3, 2023
During the overnight hours and into the morning on January 3rd, a strong system moved across central Kentucky, bringing isolated damaging wind gusts and widespread heavy rainfall. The system was associated with a negatively-tilted upper-level trough which moved from the Four Corners region on January 2nd to the upper Midwest by January 4th. A surface cyclone transited in a similar fashion to th...
Flash Flood — Nov 30, 2019
A low pressure system approached central Kentucky from the west with a warm front extending to the east and a cold front to the south. Early in the day as the warm front moved north through central Kentucky, the lift provided by the front caused widespread heavy rainfall in areas that were already saturated from previous rains. Flash flooding was the result across several counties in central Ke...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Meade County, Kentucky:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Meade County, Kentucky that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.