3 flood insurance claims·$31,391 paid·5 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 Atchison County, Kansas. 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.
Riverine flooding from long-duration high-water events dominates the flood profile of Atchison County, KS, supported by 44 recorded flood events compared to 18 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Significant historical impacts include major flooding along the Missouri River in March 2019, driven by melting snowpack and heavy rain with impacts aggravated by levee failures. Consistent heavy rains caused this Missouri River flooding to continue through June 2019, keeping some locations in major flood for several weeks.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated in specific zones, with Zone A recording 2 claims averaging a $15,696 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, alongside 1 claim in Zone X_UNSHADED with a $0 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Properties near rivers and levees should pay the most attention to flood risk in this county.
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 2 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 2001, with 1 claims and $16,000 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Atchison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Oct 1, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
62 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 44 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 30, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 30, 2019. After a relatively wet month, another round of thunderstorms moved into the region, causing some flooding on area roads.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2019. In the evening of May 28 a strong tornado formed in Douglas County and grew to a wide EF-4 tornado. This is the same storm that caused the storm chasing group to fly off the road just south of Lawrence, Kansas. Once the tornado crossed into Leavenworth County it impacted mainly rural residences, but also impact the city of Linwood. It was here that isolated EF-3 and EF-4 damage was noted. The tornado continued on…
Flood · Mar 13, 2019. Several months of heavy snow across the Northern Plains set the stage for a significant and catastrophic flooding event when temperatures warmed and heavy rain fell across Nebraska and the Dakotas. While the more significant damage occurred across eastern Nebraska several counties along the Missouri River in parts of northeast Kansas saw some high impacts as well. Numerous locations along the Missouri River receiv…
Flood · May 1, 2019. Heavy late winter and spring precipitation, mixed with a loaded snow pack caused the Missouri River to flood in March. Consistent heavy rains continued the Missouri River flooding into and through May. Some locations along the Missouri River were in major flood for several weeks as heavy rains continued.
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 Atchison 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.