Lexington’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lexington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 355 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Lexington’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Lexington flood? Yes: 355 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lexington, from FEMA’s records.
- The Not a named storm19 claims · $324K
- The Heavy rains9 claims · $80K
- The Central U.S. April Flooding4 claims · $233K
Lexington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fayette County.The storms Lexington remembers
None of the disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lexington itself in FEMA’s records.
- 200637 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 199733 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 199241 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Fayette County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Lexington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lexington archive →How exposed is Lexington?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 431 of the 553 Kentucky towns we cover.
Lexington covers 82 census tracts, combined by population.
What Lexington faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Earthquakes
Get ready for what Lexington actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of Fayette County’s 19 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Lexington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Lexington.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Lexington, expected losses total about $113M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lexington.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.