13 flood insurance claims·$33,513 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 Finney 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk in Finney County, which recorded 11 flash flood events compared to 4 general flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database. Severe weather in July 2023 brought large hail, damaging winds, and reported flooding across Garden City. A subsequent heavy rain event in September 2021 produced localized downpours as storms moved out of the Oklahoma Panhandle.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, with Zone X recording 6 claims averaging an 8-inch water depth and a $5,132 payout, Zone X_UNSHADED recording 4 claims averaging a 1-inch water depth and a $1,613 payout, and Zone A recording 3 claims averaging a 1-inch water depth and a $1,401 payout. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located in Zone X, which accounted for the highest claim counts and average payout amounts in the county.
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 1981, with 4 claims and $6,453 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 Finney County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
| Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Jul 18, 1967 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Sep 4, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 4, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2023. Large hail and damaging winds were reported across western Kansas. Flooding was also reported across Garden City.
Flood · Sep 4, 2021. Isolated severe storms moved out of the Oklahoma Panhandle with a few hail reports over an inch in diameter. There was enough differential heating across southwestern counties allowing for CAPE values over 1500 J/kg. Mid-level lapse rates were relatively low with warm upper level temperatures in this area. This prevented more widespread convection becoming organized as the afternoon progressed. These storms dimini…
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2018. An isolated marginal severe thunderstorm was reported in extreme southwest Kansas.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2018. An MCS rolled across the area after it initiated across northeast Colorado. There was also a stalled front across the southern portion of the area that became the focus for additional thunderstorms.
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 Finney 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.