9 flood insurance claims·$992,565 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 Kingman 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.
Flood risk in Kingman County is predominantly characterized by riverine flooding and flash flooding driven by severe thunderstorms. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 19 flood events and 12 flash flood events.
Recent history illustrates these patterns. On June 30, 2024, scattered severe thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding in Kingman following severe weather with large hail and damaging winds. Earlier, on May 7, 2019, a stalled frontal boundary brought widespread showers and thunderstorms that dropped very heavy rainfall onto already saturated ground, resulting in widespread flooding and significant flash flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in high-risk areas bear the highest financial exposure. Specifically, Zone A accounts for 7 claims with an average payout of $197,322 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. By comparison, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $5,956 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Consequently, homeowners and real estate agents with properties located within Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk and mitigation.
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 1 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 2016, with 3 claims and $930,955 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Kingman County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
21 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 4, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Sep 1, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 2, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 7, 2019 | $100 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2018 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | $500 |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | $100 |
| Flood | Sep 4, 2018 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2024. Scattered severe thunderstorms tracked across south central and southeast Kansas beginning during the afternoon hours of the 29th and lasting into the late evening hours. These storms produced quarter to baseball sized hail and damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph; damage occurred to trees and power poles. There was one landspout reported inear Yates Center. Heavy rain persisted over south central Kansas which led to…
Flood · Jul 17, 2021. Showers and thunderstorms dropped copious amounts of rain across the county warning area prompting several flood warnings and one flash flood warning in Montgomery county.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2019. Strong storms produced hail and wind across portions of south central Kansas. Most of the events were low end severe, however, a golf ball sized hail stone was noted.
Flood · May 7, 2019. A stalled frontal boundary was draped across portions of Kansas during the day on May 7th, 2019 ahead of an approaching storm system. Widespread showers and thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall developed across the area. These storms inundated areas that were already saturated from recent rainfall resulting in widespread flooding across south central Kansas. ||Significant flash flooding occurred during the eveni…
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 Kingman 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.