8 flood insurance claims·$322,173 paid
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 Taylor 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 driven by severe weather and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Taylor County, KY, accounting for 43 out of 53 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 10 general flood events.
Recent occurrences illustrate these recurring hazards. In January 2022, multiple waves of low pressure along a stalled frontal boundary produced widespread precipitation totaling 2 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts. Later, severe storms accompanied by a strong storm system impacted the region on February 16, 2023, followed by a cold front system that brought heavy storms overnight into April 3, 2025, and a meandering stationary front that produced high precipitable water values on September 5, 2022.
Historical NFIP claims data reflects impacts across different zones. Zone A claims averaged a payout of $29,589 with an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone X properties averaged $77,804 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while unshaded Zone X recorded a single claim averaging $29,583 with 0 inches of average recorded water depth. Residents in designated flood zones, particularly Zone A properties facing deeper water inundation, as well as homeowners in Zone X experiencing higher-cost damages, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
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 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 2015, with 3 claims and $104,079 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Taylor County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1974.
| 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, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | Dec 31, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 8, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 1, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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. These storms left be…
Flash Flood · Feb 16, 2023. A strong storm system moved through the Ohio Valley beginning late in the evening on February 15th and continuing through much of the day on February 16th. An amplified mid- and upper-level trough moved across the central Plains during this time period, with an associated surface disturbance transiting from the Red River Valley northeastward into the Ohio Valley. A surface warm front was located parallel to the Oh…
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2022. A quasi-stationary surface front and weak mid-level cyclone continued to meander across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on September 5th and 6th, providing localized convergence and broad forcing for ascent across central Kentucky. Temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s and dewpoints in the low 70s facilitated the development of around 2000 J/kg SBCAPE and Precipitable Water values approaching 2 inches during the after…
Flash Flood · Jan 1, 2022. During New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, active weather was observed across Kentucky as several waves of low pressure moved along a frontal boundary that was stalled across the region. This resulted in multiple rounds of widespread precipitation, and rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts observed across the area. As the boundary lifted north as a warm front New Year's Day, strong to sever…
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 Taylor 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.