Natural hazards · Kentucky

Kentucky, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Kentucky comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Kentucky?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Kentucky to be higher than in 61% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding54%Tornadoes15%Heat waves7%Strong wind6%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Kentucky faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Kentucky flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kentucky.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Kentucky isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Jefferson County.

Disasters that hit Kentucky

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kentucky itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into KentuckyDeclared for Jefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Kentucky

Kentucky and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fairviewmostly inland floodingVery high

Kentuckymostly inland floodingHigh

Kawmostly inland floodingHigh

Ruralmostly inland floodingLow

Oskaloosamostly inland floodingLow

Lecomptonmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Kentucky is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Kentucky’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Kentucky. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.