Enter any address in Cowley County, Kansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from severe thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Cowley County. Between 1993 and 2023, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 44 flash flood events and 23 flood events. Recent examples include flash flooding on May 31, 2022, caused by heavy rain from severe storms, and widespread flooding on May 5, 2022, following 4 to 5 inches of rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with 96 claims averaging $15,382 and an average water depth of 3.0 feet. While Zone X properties have seen fewer claims (9), the average payout was higher at $15,827, with an average water depth of 0.3 feet. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in areas with documented flood history or located near waterways, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
22 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Cowley County, Kansas has recorded 67 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 44 flash floods and 23 river or area floods. The county has received 26 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2025)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 3, 2025 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Tornadoes And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Severe Storm | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Oct 4, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 2, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Severe Storm | Dec 22, 2009 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 27, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 5, 2022 | 0.10K |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 21, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | 0.10K |
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2019 | 0.10K |
| Flood | May 7, 2019 | 0.10K |
Flood — Apr 27, 2024
On Saturday April 27th, there was volatile severe weather across Kansas and Oklahoma. An abundance of moisture and increasing shear through the day resulted in numerous rotating storms which produced several tornadoes across the Flint Hills into southeast Kansas. The strongest tornado was an EF-2 which occurred in Cowley County which did damage to a few outbuildings. Luckily there were no injur...
Flash Flood — May 31, 2022
An extremely unstable airmass was in place across southern Kansas on May 31st as storms erupted along a stationary front from western Oklahoma into southern Kansas. Storms quickly became severe producing very large hail along with a couple brief tornadoes. In addition, they also produced very heavy rain that caused flash flooding along with subsequent river flooding.
Flood — May 5, 2022
Rich gulf moisture streamed north of a slow moving low pressure for the afternoon and overnight hours of May 4th into the early morning of May 5th, 2022. Heavy rainfall impacted a large portions of southern Kansas, with some flooding reported. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 5 inches were common.
Flash Flood — May 26, 2019
Clusters of thunderstorms with heavy rains caused further flash flooding in parts of South & Southeast Kansas in the morning on the 26th. Thunderstorms that had occurred the previous evening produced, on average, up to around 3 inches of rain. The renewed thunderstorms that occurred the following morning produced another 1 to 3 inches this morning.
Flash Flood — May 25, 2019
A prolonged period of severe thunderstorms that produced a grand slam of flash floods, large hail, damaging winds & even a couple tornadoes hit nearly all of the Wichita (ICT) County Warning Area (CWA) throughout the afternoon & night on the 24th. Of the severe thunderstorm modes, floods & flash floods proved to be, by far, the greatest threat to these areas. The flash flooding continued across...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Cowley County, Kansas:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Cowley County, Kansas that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.