Home›States›Kansas›Kiowa County
FEMA flood zones · Kansas

Kiowa County, Kansas Flood Zone Map

1 federal flood & hurricane disasters

Less than 1% of Kiowa County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Kiowa 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.

Federal disasters

34 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And FloodingMay 18, 2025
Severe Winter Storms And Straight-line WindsMar 17, 2022
Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And FloodingSep 1, 2018
Severe Winter StormJan 13, 2017
Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And FloodingJul 22, 2013
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And FloodingApr 14, 2012
Severe Storms, Flooding, And TornadoesJun 7, 2010
Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record SnowMar 26, 2009

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

10 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
Flash FloodJul 25, 2025$5,000
Flash FloodJun 30, 2024—
FloodSep 3, 2018—
FloodMay 2, 2018—
FloodJun 13, 2010—
FloodOct 24, 2000—
Flash FloodJun 13, 2000—
Flash FloodAug 23, 1996—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flash Flood · Jul 25, 2025. During the very early morning thunderstorms developed along a surface boundary. Supported my low/mid level warm and moisture advection, a lot of rain was quickly able to drop heavy rain rates across Kiowa, Pawnee, and Pratt counties.

Flood · Sep 3, 2018. An upper level trough with embedded minor disturbances approached western Kansas late in the day. Combined with daytime heating, this caused vigorous convection to develop by early evening, which lingered through the night. These storms caused numerous flooding issues across western Kansas.

Flood · May 2, 2018. A warm front lifted north into the region and provided the focus for thunderstorm develop early in the afternoon. An upper level short wave trough moving into the Rockies provided the upper support for the severe weather.

Flood · Jun 13, 2010. Thunderstorms from the previous afternoon and evening ended during the night producing heavy rainfall. There was on hail report before sunrise.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Kiowa County

If a building in Kiowa 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.