Enter any address in Metcalfe County, Kentucky to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from severe thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Metcalfe County. Between 2005 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 17 flash flood events and 7 general flood events. Recent examples include widespread flash flooding on May 4, 2021, following heavy rainfall from an approaching cold front, and significant storm activity on April 3, 2025, which produced damage across central Kentucky.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties designated as Zone A have experienced flood claims. In Zone A, there were 5 claims with an average payout of $3,474 and an average water depth of 0.2 feet. Two claims were recorded in Zone UNKNOWN, with no reported payout or water depth. Homeowners in Zone A, and those in areas with unknown flood risk, should pay particular attention to flood potential.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
13 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Metcalfe County, Kentucky has recorded 24 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 17 flash floods and 7 river or area floods. The county has received 30 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1975–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 16, 2025 |
| 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Feb 3, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Dec 16, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 11, 2018 | 200.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2015 | 0.00K |
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 — May 4, 2021
Early on May 3rd, central Kentucky sat in the warm sector ahead of an approaching surface low. Much of the region saw only rain showers, but one isolated cell in southern Kentucky was able to produce a short lived EF-1 tornado in the city of Tompkinsville, KY. ||On May 4th, a cold front, following the first system, produced additional rain showers and thunderstorms on the already saturated grou...
Flash Flood — Feb 23, 2019
On February 19, 2019, a broad upper trough dipped south to the Gulf of Mexico and carried abundant amounts of moisture towards the Ohio Valley. Once the moisture was transport was underway, isentropic lift caused 1.5 to 3 of rainfall along the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. The higher amounts went as far north as south central Indiana.||On the 20th, an upper trough axis and cold front push...
Flood — Feb 20, 2019
On February 19, 2019, a broad upper trough dipped south to the Gulf of Mexico and carried abundant amounts of moisture towards the Ohio Valley. Once the moisture was transport was underway, isentropic lift caused 1.5 to 3 of rainfall along the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. The higher amounts went as far north as south central Indiana.||On the 20th, an upper trough axis and cold front push...
Flood — Dec 16, 2019
December 16, 2019, a flood watch was in place for areas of central Kentucky as widespread rainfall was expected to continue across the region. The rain was the result of a moist airmass, with precipitable water values of 1 to 1.25 inches, overrunning a slow moving front that stretched from the Red River Valley to the mid Atlantic. During the afternoon and evening, a surge in low level moisture ...
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 Metcalfe 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 Metcalfe 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.