5 flood insurance claims·$134,622 paid·1 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 Coffey 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Coffey County, Kansas, accounting for 33 of the 46 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 13 general flood events. Heavy rainfall from slow-moving fronts routinely triggers these hazards, as demonstrated on June 3, 2025, when multiple rounds of thunderstorms dropped 2 to 6 inches of rain across northeast Kansas, resulting in street flooding and water rescues.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that risk impacts properties differently depending on FEMA zones. Zone A properties face the most severe financial and structural exposure, recording 4 claims with an average payout of $130,442 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. In contrast, Zone X has recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $4,180 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, where historical claims demonstrate significantly higher flood insurance payouts and measurable water depths compared to lower-risk zones.
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 2019, with 2 claims and $134,622 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides and Tornadoes 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Coffey County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 3, 2025 |
| Tornadoes And Flooding | May 9, 2019 |
| 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 Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Mar 26, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
46 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2025. On 6/3, slow moving front resulted in several rounds of thunderstorms across northeast Kansas. This resulted in rainfall amounts of 2 to 6 inches and a few instances of water rescues and street flooding.
Flood · Jun 3, 2025. On 6/3, slow moving front resulted in several rounds of thunderstorms across northeast Kansas. This resulted in rainfall amounts of 2 to 6 inches and a few instances of water rescues and street flooding.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2020. A cluster of severe t-storms some supercells developed across parts of northeast Kansas on the evening of May 14th. At least 4 small short lived tornadoes were documented by storm chasers. No damage was reported with any of the tornadoes so all will be classified as EFU although photos suggest they were small and short-lived.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2019. Widespread thunderstorms developed across the area, especially along and southeast of the Kansas Turnpike. In addition to large hail and damaging winds, widespread flash flooding occurred in east-central 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 Coffey 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.