100 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·2 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 Neosho 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.
Flooding in Neosho County is characterized by a nearly even distribution of general floods and flash floods, with 25 flood events and 24 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Severe weather and heavy rainfall regularly impact the area, as seen on August 5, 2023, when a storm complex brought very heavy rain with the heaviest amounts falling in Neosho and Montgomery counties. Another event occurred on August 13, 2023, when thunderstorms producing 60 to 75 mph wind gusts and nickel-sized hail also caused minor flooding in portions of southeast Kansas.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims have been filed across multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in Zone A, which accounts for 79 claims with an average payout of $20,098 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Zone X accounts for 11 claims with an average payout of $18,505 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while shaded Zone X properties recorded 6 claims averaging $7,200 with an average water depth of 28 inches, and unshaded Zone X properties recorded 3 claims averaging $28,776 with an average water depth of 18 inches. One claim was recorded in an unknown zone with an average payout of $1,633 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within high-risk Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X that have experienced significant standing water during severe weather events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Neosho County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
88 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 15 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 2007, with 42 claims and $1.1M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms.
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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Neosho County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Tornadoes And Flooding | May 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 4, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 25, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
49 since 1996: 24 flash floods and 25 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 13, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Aug 5, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 15, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 27, 2024. On Saturday April 27th, there was volatile severe weather across Kansas and Oklahoma. An abundance of moisture and increasing shear through the day resulted in numerous rotating storms which produced several tornadoes across the Flint Hills into southeast Kansas. The strongest tornado was an EF-2 which occurred in Cowley County which did damage to a few outbuildings. Luckily there were no injuries or fatalities re…
Flood · Aug 13, 2023. During the afternoon hours on August 13th, 2023, a weak cold front sagged southward across the area. Widely scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along the front as it slowly pushed southward during the late afternoon and evening hours. These storms produced wind damage as a result of wind gusts around 60 to 75 mph along with up to nickel sized hail. Minor flooding was also reported in portions of sou…
Flood · Aug 5, 2023. A complex of severe thunderstorms rolled through South Central and Southeast Kansas on the morning of 5 August. Wind speeds up to 70 mph were reported with numerous reports of damage to trees and other minor property. Very heavy rain was also reported with the heaviest train in Neosho and Montgomery county.
Flood · Jul 16, 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.
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 Neosho 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.