Floyd County, KY Environment & Hazard Risk

• LandslideRelatively Moderate$43.09K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.2 events a year
• WildfireRelatively Low$563K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 92 years
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$135K/yr expected annual loss, about 15 events a year
• Strong windRelatively Moderate$702K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.6 events a year
• HailRelatively Low$369K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.2 events a year
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$409K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 738 years
• AvalancheVery Low$878/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
• Heat waveRelatively Low$376K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.6 events a year
• LightningRelatively Moderate$209K/yr expected annual loss, about 51 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$53.65K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 58 years
• Cold waveRelatively Low$545K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• TornadoRelatively Low$488K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 16 years
• Ice stormRelatively Low$21.52K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, drought, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

577 of 17,217 (3.4%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

3,355

Insured in high-risk zones

488 (15%)

Flood claims since 1978

2,618

Claims paid since 1978

$37.28M

• Thunderstorm Wind222 · 1 death
• Flash Flood112
• Hail87
• Flood86
• Winter Weather84 · 2 deaths
• Heavy Snow45
• Frost/Freeze13
• Heavy Rain11
• Ice Storm11
• Winter Storm10

• Extreme Cold/Wind Chill01/14/2024

  Floyd

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  Source: https://wklw.com/kentucky-state-police-conducts-death-investigation-in-floyd-county-2/ ||The Kentucky State Police Pikeville Post received a call on Sunday, January 14, 2024, regarding a suspected carbon monoxide exposure in the Langley community of Floyd County.||KSP troopers responded to the area. Two females were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The preliminary investigation revealed Kara Hanks, 44 years old, of Melbourne was deceased. Hanks��� body was sent to the State Medical Examiner���s Office for an autopsy. The cause of death is under investigation; however, no foul play is suspected. ||No exact times were given.

• Thunderstorm Wind70 kt wind05/29/2019

  Prestonsburg, Floyd County

  1 death, $165K damage

  What happened

  A National Weather Service Meteorologist surveyed localized downburst winds in Prestonsburg. These winds caused sporadic damage throughout the community. The highest wind gust estimated was in downtown Prestonsburg on West Court Street |where one half of the roof of a hock shop building was lifted off. This roof landed on West Court Street, including on multiple vehicles, fatally wounding one person in a moving vehicle. Glass was also broken on multiple windows on the north side of the building. There were a number of other buildings and homes with minor roof |or gutter damage nearby, as well as a couple of uprooted trees near the downtown area. A HAM radio tower that had been mounted on the top of the annex building beside the jail and behind the courthouse in downtown Prestonsburg was also destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts. The winds snapped the support wires that had been holding up the tower causing the tower to break in half and fall onto the roof of the building it had been mounted on and the ground next to the building. Wind speeds that uprooted a tree at a residence on South Highland Avenue were estimated to be in the upper end of the 70 to 80 mph range.

• Winter Weather01/07/2020

  Floyd

  1 death, $25K damage

  What happened

  A band of precipitation developed across the Tennessee Valley late on January 6th and moved into southeast Kentucky overnight into the 7th. A mix of rain and snow occurred, with locations in central portions of far eastern Kentucky seeing the greatest snowfall totals and associated travel impacts. Several schools were closed as roads briefly became slick during the peak of the morning commute. Bays Branch Road, off of U.S. Highway 23 leading to Highlands Regional Medical Center, in Prestonsburg was closed for a couple of hours due to an accident. A man passed away as a result of an almost head-on collision with a sheriff's deputy, while the deputy sustained only minor injuries.||A sampling of snowfall totals follows below:||- Inez (Martin County): 3.0 inches|- Hatfield (Pike County): 2.8 inches|- Hode (Martin County): 2.5 inches|- Drift (Floyd County): 2.5 inches|- Denver (Johnson County): 2.0 inches|- 3 WSW Prestonsburg (Floyd County): 1.5 inches|- Dotson (Floyd County): 1.2 inches|- NWS Office in Jackson (Breathitt County): 1.2 inches|- Paintsville (Johnson County): 1.0 inch.

• Winter Weather02/07/2020

  Floyd

  1 death

  What happened

  Following abundant rainfall across southeast Kentucky on February 6th, colder air filtered into eastern Kentucky from February 6th into the 7th. Simultaneously, another wave of precipitation moved through the region, bringing a transition to snow for much of eastern Kentucky. The heaviest amounts of near 4 inches were found just south of Mountain Parkway and the Bluegrass region.||Cressy in Estill County picked up 4.3 inches while Clover Bottom and locations near McKee in Jackson County observed right near 4 inches of snow. Outside of this, amounts were generally below 4 inches with locales in Montgomery and Rockcastle Counties seeing near 3.5 inches.||Lower amounts were found elsewhere, causing sporadic traffic issues. The two most notable accidents occurred in Somerset and Martin where one individual in each location lost their lives due to slick road conditions.

• Flash Flood08/04/2001

  South Central Portion, Floyd County

  1 injured, $7.6M damage

  What happened

  High water from the areas worst flash flooding in years took its toll on area roads, bridges and homes. Extensive damage resulted in the county, making it one of five in the area to be classified as a Presidentially declared disaster area. Up to 1200 homes were affected by the flash flood. All of the Left Beaver and Mud Creek area from Martin south to the end of the county was the hardest hit. Most of the southern part of the county was without commercial utilities for several days after the flash flood.Several shelters were opened and more than 50 people stayed at the Mud Creek Senior Center, more were housed at Allen Central High School and other locations. Officials reported that Kentucky Highway 979 suffered severe damage. A 2 mile stretch of road along Mud Creek was completely washed out, there was no evidence of the road after waters receded. Road and bridge damage was too numerous to mention individually. A 68 year old man had to be rescued from his truck on Tinker Fork Creek. He was trapped inside the vehicle from 10:30 pm until 3:30 am when the water got so high it forced him to swim out the back window. Rescuers were able to get a rope around his waist and...

• Flood05/31/2004

  Floyd

  $4M damage

  What happened

  On the afternoon of May 30th, a warm front was draped across eastern Kentucky. With extremely moist and unstable air, this boundary helped spark the beginning of a most unusual event for eastern Kentucky, and for that matter, for the country. Countless supercell thunderstorms developed along this boundary for hours on end, causing widespread tree damage and damage to structures. Flash flooding was also occurring with these storms which contained torrential rain. Unfortunately for eastern Kentucky, this was not the end to the severe weather or the flooding. Later in the night, mostly in the early hours of May 31st, a potent cold front burst through, bringing destruction to most if not all eastern Kentucky counties. Also, so much rain had fallen from the previous afternoon and evening, coupled with more heavy rain during the morning of May 31st, that widespread aerial flooding occurred. For some counties, as was the case for Estill and Powell Counties, the aerial flooding lasted for days. The cost of these storms totaled easily in the millions.

• Heavy Snow03/16/2026

  Floyd

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind03/16/2026

  Myrtle, Floyd County

  $1,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind03/12/2026

  Martin, Floyd County

  $8,500 damage

• Winter Storm01/24/2026

  Floyd

• Hail1" hail06/26/2025

  Cliff, Floyd County

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind06/26/2025

  Lancer, Floyd County

  $2,000 damage

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind06/26/2025

  Cliff, Floyd County

  $2,000 damage

• Hail0.88" hail06/26/2025

  Prestonsburg, Floyd County

• Unnamed storm (1934)06/04/1934 · Landfall: LA · 966 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby

• Prestonsburg City UtilitiesServes 26,788 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Southern Water & Sewer DistrictServes 15,110 · Surface water · Local government5 health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Martin Water DepartmentServes 1,167 · Purchased surface water · Local government7 health violations
• Wheelwright Utility CommissionServes 834 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local governmentNo health violations
• Francis Water CompanyServes 459 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting