17 flood insurance claims·$1.0M paid·2 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 Menifee 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 dominates Menifee County, accounting for 44 out of 60 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 16 general flood events.
Heavy rainfall events have produced significant regional impacts, including severe flooding and flash flooding from late February through early March 2021, an event FEMA estimated cost $350 to $400 million in damages across central and eastern Kentucky. Additional flooding occurred on February 16, 2023, driven by a low-pressure center and stationary front that brought ongoing showers and thunderstorms to the region.
Residents with properties in FEMA-designated Zone A should pay the close attention to flood risk, as this zone accounts for 11 NFIP claims with an average payout of $78,256 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Property owners in Zone X should also note risk, having recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $27,111 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
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 2021, with 11 claims and $931,069 paid, the year of Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, 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.
25 NOAA storm reports from Menifee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 2 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, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2025 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Helene | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 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.
60 since 1996: 44 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2021 | $2.0M |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $30,000 |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 12, 2020 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 16, 2023. A low pressure center was slowly tracking into western Kentucky during the first part of the day on Wedensday, with a stationary front positioned along the Ohio River, and keeping much of eastern Kentucky in a warm, moist, and unstable airmass. Showers and thunderstorms were ongoing through much of the morning, leading to multiple flooding reports across the region. Then by the afternoon, the low pressure center h…
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2021. A strong low pressure system was present over the Great Lakes region to start the day on July 29th. From this extended a cold front to the southwest. As the low pressure continued eastward throughout the day, the cold front slowly shifted farther southward, before becoming elongated and slowing just north of the Ohio River. This kept much of Kentucky in the warm sector, with a strong push of warm/moist tropical ai…
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 · Mar 1, 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…
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 Menifee 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.