29 flood insurance claims·$245,338 paid·2 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 Chase 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.
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall and standard flooding occur with near-equal frequency, driven by severe thunderstorms and stalled frontal boundaries.
Recent occurrences include widespread flooding in May 2019, caused by heavy rainfall that inundated already saturated ground, and a severe weather event in September 2023 that produced quarter-sized hail and flash flooding in the northeast corner of the county. Historical events have also featured prolonged localized flooding, river flooding, and multi-day rainfall totals reaching up to 10 inches, as recorded in October 2018.
NFIP claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest impact, registering 25 claims with an average payout of $13,417 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties with unknown flood zones recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $1,279 and an average water depth of 3 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and areas prone to heavy runoff from saturated soils and severe thunderstorms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Chase County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
25 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 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 1998, with 14 claims and $220,298 paid, the year of Flooding 10/31/98.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Chase County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 3, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 8, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 8, 2019 | $100 |
| Flood | Oct 9, 2018 | $100 |
| Flood | May 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2016 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 21, 2023. Initially it was an isolated severe thunderstorm that straddled the Chase and Morris county line, but there was additional thunderstorm development as it tracked to the east and southeast. This storm produced quarter sized hail and very heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding in the northeast corner of Chase County.
Flood · May 8, 2019. A stalled frontal boundary was draped across portions of Kansas during the day on May 7th, 2019 ahead of an approaching storm system. Widespread showers and thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall developed across the area. These storms inundated areas that were already saturated from recent rainfall resulting in widespread flooding across south central Kansas. ||Significant flash flooding occurred during the eveni…
Flood · Oct 9, 2018. A strong low pressure area moved out of the southern plains and moved northeast across the central portions of Kansas. Abundant moisture moved north and wrapped into the low pressure area. Widespread showers and embedded thunderstorms developed across Kansas. Numerous rounds of showers moved across Kansas, with renewed flooding and even some flash flooding. Rainfall amounts over the two day period were 7 to 1…
Flood · May 27, 2016. Another round of late May storms produced very strong winds and damaging hail to central Kansas on both the 26th and 27th. Very large hail up to baseball size was noted along with a significant amount of flooding due to the heavy rains. These rains prolonged the localized flooding for a few days and also caused river flooding.
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 Chase 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.