28 flood insurance claims·$681,292 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 Franklin 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 driven by summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Franklin County, Kansas. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 46 flash flood events alongside 22 general flood events, which included one fatality. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including a slow-moving front on June 3, 2025, that brought 2 to 6 inches of rainfall, street flooding, and water rescues. Additionally, scattered thunderstorms produced flooding during the early morning hours of July 12 and 13, 2024, as well as during afternoon and evening storms on June 25, 2021.
Federal flood insurance data demonstrates distinct risk levels across different zones in the county. Properties located in FEMA Flood Zone A experienced 20 claims with an average payout of $35,025 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $8,473 and an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in Zone A, where historical claims reflect significantly higher water depths and financial losses during heavy rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Franklin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
20 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 10 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 2007, with 10 claims and $162,874 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms.
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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
22 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 |
| Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | $80,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2019 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jul 12, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms moved across east-central Kansas during the early morning hours on both July 12 and 13, producing isolated hail, gusty winds, and flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2021. Scattered thunderstorms created severe weather across central and east-central during the afternoon and evening hours on 6/25.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2020. Flash flooding occurred in several counties following a batch of strong thunderstorms in north-central KS. An isolated storm in Franklin County also caused flooding.
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 Franklin 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.