4 flood insurance claims·$103,609 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 Jackson 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Jackson County, Kansas. Over a 30-year period, NOAA records show 23 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 10 general flood events.
Severe weather patterns drive these incidents, as demonstrated on May 30, 2022, when supercells developed along a front to produce strong winds and flash flooding during the afternoon and evening. Similarly, severe thunderstorms on May 14, 2020, brought heavy rainfall and short-lived tornadoes to the region, while successive MCS systems during a two-day event on June 5, 2015, delivered repeated rounds of flooding rains.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas, such as Zone A. Federal insurance data indicates that Zone A properties in Jackson County experienced claims with an average recorded water depth of 56 inches and an average payout of $49,159. Properties in Zone X also require attention, having recorded claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $54,450.
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 28 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2007 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Oct 1, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 30, 2022. Supercells developed along a front and produced hail, strong winds and some flash flooding during the afternoon and evening of 5/30.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2020. A cluster of severe t-storms some supercells developed across parts of northeast Kansas on the evening of May 14th. At least 4 small short lived tornadoes were documented by storm chasers. No damage was reported with any of the tornadoes so all will be classified as EFU although photos suggest they were small and short-lived.
Flash Flood · Apr 11, 2020. Thunderstorms developed on the evening of the April 11th and continued into the overnight period, producing large hail across parts of northeast Kansas. The largest hail size reported was tennis ball hail in Pottawatomie County.
Flash Flood · Sep 24, 2016. Several rounds of heavy rainfall resulted in numerous flash-flooding reports.
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 Jackson 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.