Enter any address in Osborne County, Kansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events dominates the flood character in Osborne County. Recent examples include significant flooding on May 16, 2021, caused by persistent thunderstorms, and another event on July 26, 2020, where slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rain across southern portions of the county. These events highlight the potential for rapid inundation due to intense rainfall.
While the majority of National Flood Insurance Program claims in Osborne County have occurred in Zone A, with an average payout of $20,400, there has also been one claim in Zone X_Unshaded. Residents in areas designated as Zone A, particularly those located near creeks and low-lying areas prone to rapid water rise, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
14 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Osborne County, Kansas has recorded 20 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 13 flash floods and 7 river or area floods. The county has received 18 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2025)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Severe Storm | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Severe Storm | Dec 15, 2021 |
| 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 |
| Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 14, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 22, 2008 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2021 | 2.00M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2019 | 25.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2018 | 30.00K |
| Flood | Aug 31, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 24, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2016 | 5.00K |
| Flood | Aug 5, 2015 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 24, 2011 | 15.00K |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2011 | 1.00M |
Flash Flood — May 16, 2021
Persistent thunderstorms with heavy rain rates led to heavy rainfall and serious flooding in Osborne County during the early morning hours of May 16th. Highest rainfall totals included 8.16 from 1 WNW Codell, mainly between 1-4 AM CDT, 4.19 from 1 S Plainville, 4.11 from 13 SW of Tipton. The axis of heaviest rainfall occurred at the head of and alongside the Paradise Creek, which ultimately led...
Flash Flood — Jul 26, 2020
Cold front brings slow moving thunderstorms and heavy rain to extreme southern portions of south central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening of July 26. Thunderstorms developed between 3pm and 4pm CDT from southwest to northeast, generally along a line from Rooks County in north central Kansas, to Thayer County in south central Nebraska. Once thunderstorms developed, heavy rain quick...
Flash Flood — Aug 24, 2019
Given that several official NWS cooperative observer stations within this six-county North Central Kansas area realized their wettest month of August on record (including Plainville 4WNW, Natoma and Beloit), it should come as no surprise that there were at least a few rounds of flooding rains. For some areas mainly south of the Highway 36 corridor, the roughly 48-hour period from the morning of...
Flash Flood — May 1, 2018
Storms produced very heavy rain, localized hail and wind damage, and even a brief tornado over north central Kansas on this Tuesday afternoon and evening. Around 2 PM CST, several thunderstorms rapidly developed southwest-to-northeast across Rooks and Smith counties. These storms merged into a line as they moved east and gradually evolved into two multicell clusters. Each cluster tracked across...
Flood — Aug 31, 2016
For the second time in a week, a localized heavy-rain-only event (no severe storms) forced the South Fork Solomon River above minor flood stage in Osborne County. Unlike the previous event, during which the axis of heaviest rain fell almost directly over the Solomon basin (including in the city of Osborne), this time around the instigating heavy rain fell in a west-east oriented swath about 10 ...
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 Osborne 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 Osborne 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.