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 Graham 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 storms dominates the flood risk profile in Graham County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 22 flash flood events alongside 5 general flood events.
Recent history illustrates this threat. On May 25, 2023, slow-moving, high-precipitation thunderstorms formed across eastern Colorado and northwest Kansas, dumping upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and causing widespread flooding in various locations throughout the region.
Property owners and real estate professionals should review local FEMA flood maps to determine specific zone designations and relative risk levels for individual parcels.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15 NOAA storm reports from Graham County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Straight-line Winds | Mar 17, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 2, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 25, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2018 | $500,000 |
| Flood | May 28, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2018 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 25, 2023. In the late morning of the 25th, a line of storms from eastern Kansas restrengthened as they slowly moved northwest. These storms dumped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused flooding in various locations in northwest Kansas. As the day progressed, more storms began firing to the west from the outflow of this initial system. In the afternoon of the 25th, these new slow moving, high precipitation thunde…
Flash Flood · May 25, 2023. In the late morning of the 25th, a line of storms from eastern Kansas restrengthened as they slowly moved northwest. These storms dumped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused flooding in various locations in northwest Kansas. As the day progressed, more storms began firing to the west from the outflow of this initial system. In the afternoon of the 25th, these new slow moving, high precipitation thunde…
Flash Flood · Aug 13, 2019. Thunderstorms produce hail up to lime size, damaging winds, and flash flooding in northwest Kansas.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2019. A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 59 mph at the Goodland airport. Repeated thunderstorms with heavy rain produced localized flash flooding in northwest Kansas late on the night of the 7th and into the early morning hours of the 8th.
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 Graham 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.