10 flood insurance claims·$1,669 paid·3 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 Edwards 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 9 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 1995, with 2 claims and $1,108 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Edwards County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 17, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 18, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 8, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Straight-line Winds | Mar 17, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
10 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jul 2, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2007 | — |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2007 | — |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2007 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2000 | — |
| Flood | Oct 24, 2000 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2017. A strong shortwave trough over the southwestern states moved east northeastward toward the central and southern Plains as another low pressure system dropped into the Pacific Northwest. A dryline set up and high dewpoints were in the area by mid-afternoon, resulting in even stronger CAPE. This created severe hail and wind across the counties mentioned above, as well as tornadoes in Clark, Ford, and Pawnee counties.
Flood · Jul 2, 2016. Another MCS producing local flooding moved across parts of the area.
Flood · Jul 4, 2010. As is typical on the 4th of July in western Kansas, thunderstorms disrupted festivities at many locations. Excessive rainfall occurred at a few spots. A shortwave trough moved across a tropical air mass that was in place. Flooding that resulted continued into the 5h.
Flood · Jul 16, 2007. Isolated large hail fell during the early morning hours before sunrise.
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 Edwards 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.