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 Rawlins 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Rawlins County, accounting for 22 of the 30 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 8 general flood events.
Heavy rainfall events frequently impact the region, as demonstrated in May 2023. A high-impact storm system on May 12, 2023, produced severe weather including tornadoes, hail, and heavy rainfall across Northwest Kansas. Shortly after, a slow-moving storm system on May 26, 2023, dropped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused localized flooding throughout the northwest Kansas area.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties vulnerable to rapid stormwater accumulation during intense seasonal downpours.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6 NOAA storm reports from Rawlins County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 2005.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 17, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
30 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 26, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | May 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Aug 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 26, 2023. In the late morning of the 25th, a line of storms from eastern Kansas restrengthened as they slowly moved northwest. These storms dumped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused flooding in various locations in northwest Kansas. As the day progressed, more storms began firing to the west from the outflow of this initial system. In the afternoon of the 25th, these new slow moving, high precipitation thunde…
Flash Flood · May 26, 2023. In the late morning of the 25th, a line of storms from eastern Kansas restrengthened as they slowly moved northwest. These storms dumped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused flooding in various locations in northwest Kansas. As the day progressed, more storms began firing to the west from the outflow of this initial system. In the afternoon of the 25th, these new slow moving, high precipitation thunde…
Flood · May 12, 2023. A high impact storm system moved across Northwest Kansas. The storm system produced an environment that was favorable for any of the developing thunderstorms to produce a tornado, which led to multiple tornadoes occurring on this day. The strongest tornado was rated an EF-1 which caused damage to the high school in Weskan. ||Otherwise thunderstorms produced hail up to half dollar in size near Wallace, and wind g…
Flash Flood · May 12, 2023. A high impact storm system moved across Northwest Kansas. The storm system produced an environment that was favorable for any of the developing thunderstorms to produce a tornado, which led to multiple tornadoes occurring on this day. The strongest tornado was rated an EF-1 which caused damage to the high school in Weskan. ||Otherwise thunderstorms produced hail up to half dollar in size near Wallace, and wind g…
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 Rawlins 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.