30 flood insurance claims·$212,491 paid·9 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 Whitley 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 from slow-moving summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Whitley County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 92 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, compared to 67 standard flood events resulting in 1 death.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this local hazard. On September 22, 2024, slow-moving and merging thunderstorms fueled by an unusually hot airmass brought flash flooding to locations east of Corbin. Similarly, on July 9, 2023, moisture-laden storms with minimal steering motion stalled over the region, resulting in flash flood warnings and reported flash flooding in the county. Later, on May 6, 2022, showers and thunderstorms driven by an occluded low-pressure system and warm front produced widespread flooding and wind damage.
NFIP claim history shows that properties situated in FEMA Flood Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for 21 claims with an average payout of $9,452 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties in Zone UNKNOWN recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $17,429 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $1,000 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Whitley County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
21 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 1998, with 8 claims and $95,812 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm and Severe Storms, Tornadoes,and Flooding.
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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Whitley County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kentucky flood stories →
37 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 9 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 21, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 2, 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.
159 since 1996: 92 flash floods and 67 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2024 | $400 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 6, 2022 | $8,000 |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 22, 2024. An unusually hot and humid airmass for late September set up over the Cumberland River basin on September 22nd in the wake of a warm front. Temperatures approached record highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s during the afternoon hours. Within the resulting moderate instability environment, slow-moving and merging thunderstorms developed and affected locations mainly east of Corbin at the start of the evening. The i…
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Storms developed during the evening hours across eastern Kentucky, ahead of an approaching cold front. The airmass was already quite primed with moisture, and with very little steering motion, the storms sat over locations for extended periods of time. Several flash flood warnings were issued for portions of far southeast Kentucky. Thankfully only one instance of flash flooding was reported from these storms. Howe…
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2022. A stalled frontal boundary and surface low pressure south of the state early Sunday morning began to slowly lift northward into the southeast and south-central portion of the state throughout the day. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the boundary and moved eastward. Since the system as whole showed very little forward progression, multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms ended up moving across the sam…
Flood · May 6, 2022. A warm front was in place across the state during the morning hours on May 6th, setting the stage for increased moisture and warm air into the region. By the afternoon, a nearby low pressure system began to occlude, furthering the lift and instability across the state. Showers and thunderstorms developed across much of the region throughout the day, becoming strong to severe by mid-day. Flooding and wind damage wa…
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 Whitley 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.