20 flood insurance claims·$24,046 paid·1 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 Fayette County, Ohio. 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.
Standard riverine flooding dominates Fayette County, accounting for 30 historical events compared to 19 flash flood events over the last 30 years. NOAA storm data records show that slow-moving frontal systems produce heavy rainfall and widespread water accumulation, such as the low-pressure system that dropped 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain to cause widespread flooding on February 18, 2022. Another similar low-pressure system and cold front moved through the region on July 14, 2025, producing localized flooding from heavy rainfall.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are distributed across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 8 claims averaging a $2,445 payout and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X unshaded recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $3,220 and an average water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $3,463 and an average water depth of 24 inches. Zone Unknown recorded 2 claims averaging a $124 payout with 0 inches of water depth, and Zone X shaded logged 1 claim with a $0 payout and 0 inches of water depth.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to these flood risks, given the documented claim history and recorded water depths in those areas.
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 9 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 2017, with 3 claims and $0 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Fayette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record/near Record Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 26, 1978 |
| Snowstorms | Feb 2, 1977 |
| Tornadoes | Apr 4, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
49 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 30 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 18, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 14, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 21, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 7, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jul 6, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 14, 2025. A low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes region, dragging a slow moving cold front through the Ohio Valley. Showers and storms developed out ahead of this frontal boundary, with some storms producing heavy rainfall and localized flooding.
Flood · Feb 18, 2022. Rain overspread the region through the day ahead of a low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley. Rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 2.5 inches produced widespread flooding.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2022. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening in a warm and humid airmass that was in place across the Ohio Valley.
Flood · May 14, 2022. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening in a warm and humid airmass that was in place across the Ohio Valley.
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 Fayette 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.