Enter any address in McPherson County, Kansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from intense thunderstorms is the primary flood hazard in McPherson County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 47 flood events and 23 flash flood events. For example, heavy rainfall caused flooding across McPherson County in June 2024, and intense storms produced significant rainfall leading to flooding in May 2021.
NFIP claims data indicates that properties in Zone A, which are areas with a higher risk of flooding, have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $12,945 and an average water depth of 6.8 feet. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
20 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
McPherson County, Kansas has recorded 70 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 23 flash floods and 47 river or area floods. The county has received 19 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Severe Storm | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Highland Hills Fire | Fire | Mar 4, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Severe Storm | Mar 26, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Severe Storm | Dec 6, 2007 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 19, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 26, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 16, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2021 | 0.10K |
| Flood | May 18, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 8, 2019 | 0.10K |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2019 | 0.10K |
Flood — Jul 22, 2025
Two areas of storms developed during the evening hours and continued into the overnight in north central and south central Kansas. Strong and damaging winds were the main hazard with estimated wind gusts up to 75 mph. There was damage to trees and powerlines reported. A semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 70 as well. A few of the storms had hail from nickel to quarter size. These storms w...
Flood — May 19, 2024
Around 2:30pm on Sunday May 19th, a high precipitation supercell developed near Hays along a warm front. This storm tracked east along I-70 producing a few brief tornadoes across Russell and northern Ellsworth county. As it progressed east, the wind and hail threat ramp-up as it moved into Saline County. The Salina Airport measured a 100 mph wind gust! There was also numerous reports of golf...
Flood — Jun 19, 2024
A broken lines of strong to severe storms moved into portions of central Kansas during the evening hours of June 18th. Wind gusts between 60 and 78 mph were reported during the event with the highest wind gust reported by the Bunker Hill Kansas State Mesonet site. Despite these strong winds, the only damage reported were tree limbs down in Ellinwood, KS.||Flooding also occurred across portions ...
Flash Flood — May 26, 2021
This event broke the tornado drought for the NWS Wichita office of 611 days. Storms developed during the late afternoon hours on Wednesday, May 26th over Central Kansas near a warm front. A very moist and unstable air mass was in place which allowed storms to rapidly become severe, producing hail up to baseball size along with a few brief tornadoes. The strongest tornado caused some damage acro...
Flood — May 26, 2021
This event broke the tornado drought for the NWS Wichita office of 611 days. Storms developed during the late afternoon hours on Wednesday, May 26th over Central Kansas near a warm front. A very moist and unstable air mass was in place which allowed storms to rapidly become severe, producing hail up to baseball size along with a few brief tornadoes. The strongest tornado caused some damage acro...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in McPherson County, Kansas:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in McPherson County, Kansas that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.