Natural hazards · Covington

Covington, KY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Covington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Covington?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Covington to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Tornadoes14%Cold waves11%Strong wind5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Covington faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Covington flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Covington, from FEMA’s records.

64paid claims since 1978

$915Kpaid to owners

8homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Central U.S. April Flooding: 5 claims, $315K
Mid-spring storms: 4 claims, $39K
Not a named storm: 2 claims, $3K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Kenton County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

24flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Covington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CovingtonDeclared for Kenton County only

Kenton County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Covington

Covington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Covingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Ludlowmostly inland floodingHigh

Ryland Heightsmostly inland floodingHigh

Kenton Valemostly inland floodingHigh

Newportmostly inland floodingHigh

Taylor Millmostly inland floodingLow

Cincinnatimostly inland floodingLow

Independencemostly inland floodingLow

Fort Wrightmostly inland floodingLow

Erlangermostly inland floodingLow

Wildermostly inland floodingVery low

Park Hillsmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Covington covers 15 census tracts, combined by population.

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

FEMA’s expected losses across Covington total about $13.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.