86 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid·4 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 Cherokee 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 thunderstorm rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Cherokee County, Kansas. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 129 flash flood events compared to 29 general flood events. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall rates from thunderstorms causing flooding on the morning of June 6, 2025. Similarly, supercell thunderstorms fueled by a low-level jet and shortwave trough produced flooding across the area on May 26, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims are heavily concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 80 claims with an average payout of $22,643 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. In contrast, Zone X has recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $13,087 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $10,667 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Property owners and real estate agents in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A should pay the closest attention to this flood risk, given the frequency of flash flooding and the higher average claim payouts associated with these zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Cherokee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
80 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 12 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 2015, with 20 claims and $811,119 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Cherokee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Tornadoes And Flooding | May 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
158 since 1996: 129 flash floods and 29 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 12, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. A round of thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall rates which led to flooding in Cherokee county on the morning of June 6th.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2024. A shortwave trough approached southeast Kansas on May 25, 2024, priming the atmosphere for moderate instability and sufficient deep layer shear. Additionally a low level jet around 45 to 50 knots nosed into the area during the late evening hours and into the early morning hours of May 26, 2024, further amplifying low level flow into the region. As a result, supercell thunderstorms developed and slid into southeast…
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2023. After a broad area of rain moved through the region earlier in the day, a boundary sagged slowly south through southeastern Kansas. This boundary became the focus for rounds of rain and storms producing isolated flooding.
Flash Flood · May 4, 2022. Thunderstorms produced between 4 and 6 inches of rainfall leading to flooding across southeastern Kansas.
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 Cherokee 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.