72 flood insurance claims·$367,154 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 Pottawatomie 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Pottawatomie County, backed by 28 recorded flash flood events compared to 8 general flood events over the last 30 years. Storms frequently produce heavy rainfall, such as the event on April 28, 2025, which brought up to 5 inches of rain alongside severe wind and hail, as well as widespread thunderstorm activity on July 29, 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond standard high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone X account for 30 claims with an average payout of $11,040 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, while Zone A properties recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $15,059 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Additional claims occurred in shaded Zone X, unshaded Zone X, and unknown zones with varying payout amounts and average water depths of 0 to 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone X and Zone A, as these areas have experienced the highest claim volumes, largest average payouts, and significant average water depths during past flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
65% of Pottawatomie County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
40 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 9 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 1993, with 51 claims and $147,753 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Pottawatomie County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 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, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2025 | $250 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 28, 2025. In the late afternoon to evening hours, scattered storms developed and trained across portions of northeast Kansas, leading to isolated reports of Flash Flooding with up to 5 inches of rainfall reported. These storms also produced hail to baseball size, wind gusts to 70 mph, and a brief tornado in Pottawatomie county.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2020. Several counties experienced flash flooding following widespread thunderstorms during the afternoon of 7/29.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2018. Several rounds of thunderstorms along a stationary frontal boundary resulted in significant flash-flooding in portions of Riley, Marshall, and Pottawatomie Counties. Numerous damaging wind reports were noted as well.
Flash Flood · Jun 5, 2015. Several MCSs affected northeast Kansas during this 2-day event. Each round of storms brought hail, gusty winds, and flooding rains. Each of the MCSs formed near the NE/KS state line and moved southeastward across the area. The environment was able to recover after each round, and the convection remained partially surface based through out the event.
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 Pottawatomie 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.