15 flood insurance claims·$328,733 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 Muhlenberg 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.
River overflow and standard river flooding dominate the flood profile of Muhlenberg County, backed by 138 recorded flood events compared to 28 flash flood events over the last thirty years, which include 1 flash flood death.
Recent historic events illustrate this river-driven risk. A prolonged flooding event began in mid-February and continued into early March 2025, causing moderate flooding on the Green River near Calhoun and minor bottomland flooding at Paradise. Shortly before that, heavy rainfall between January 31 and February 15, 2025, produced major flooding along the Green River from the Island area through Calhoun, with the river cresting at 32.4 feet and numerous structures sustaining flood damage in Rumsey and lower Calhoun.
Residents and property owners located near rivers and streams—particularly those situated in FEMA Flood Zones A and unshaded Zone X—should pay the closest attention to flood risk. NFIP claims data shows that Zone A properties recorded an average water depth of 10 inches with an average payout of $44,300 across 7 claims, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded an average water depth of 138 inches with an average payout of $47,753 across 4 claims.
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 34 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 2022, with 2 claims and $152,668 paid.
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.
63 NOAA storm reports from Muhlenberg County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 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, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
166 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 138 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | $1.2M |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 11, 2025 | $400,000 |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. A low pressure system pushing northeastward through the Quad State region brought moderate to heavy rain to Western Kentucky for the midday through evening hours. Flash flood and areal flood issues developed late afternoon to early evening in the Purchase Area and Southern Pennyrile where widespread 3 to 4 inch storm total precipitation observations occurred. A water rescue occurred near the Graves/Hickman County…
Flash Flood · May 20, 2025. A squall line moved eastward through Western Kentucky from mid to late afternoon ahead of an evening cold frontal passage. Several damaging wind reports were received, along with additional sub-severe wind gust observations. A funnel cloud was observed north of Crofton. Flooding issues developed in portions of the Kentucky Pennyrile. MLCAPE values were around 1000-1250J/kg, DCAPE was 700-1000J/kg, and effective bu…
Flood · May 17, 2025. A localized band of heavy rainfall produced 2-4 inches across portions of the Green River basin during the evening of the 16th, resulting in rising river levels on the Green River, with minor flood reached at Paradise. With no additional significant rainfall before or after, flooding was temporary, with water levels receding a few days later.
Flood · Mar 16, 2025. A very strong storm system lifted northeast from the central Plains into the Upper Midwest on the 14th into the 15th. Very strong south southeast winds led to a rapid increase in moisture that resulted in heavy rainfall (3-5) over the Green River basin on the 15th and 16th. Minor and eventually moderate flooding of bottomland occurred along the Green River at Paradise. Downstream at Calhoun, the river had a prolon…
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 Muhlenberg 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.