Enter any address in Rice County, Kansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from intense thunderstorms is a notable flood hazard in Rice County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 25 flood events and 16 flash flood events. For example, heavy rainfall contributed to flooding along Cow Creek in July 2020, and widespread flooding occurred in May 2019 following intense thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the majority of flood claims, with an average payout of $16,540 and an average water depth of 0.6 feet. While Zone X has seen fewer claims, the average water depth was higher at 1.3 feet, with an average payout of $2,008. Residents in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and areas with unknown flood zone designations, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
15 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Rice County, Kansas has recorded 41 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 16 flash floods and 25 river or area floods. The county has received 25 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 (1965–2025)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Severe Storm | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 14, 2023 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Oct 4, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 1, 2018 |
| Highland Hills Fire | Fire | Mar 4, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Jan 13, 2017 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 26, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 15, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | 0.10K |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | 100.00K |
| Flood | May 5, 2019 | 0.10K |
| Flood | Oct 9, 2018 | 0.10K |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | 0.10K |
| Flood | Sep 5, 2018 | 0.10K |
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 — Jul 15, 2020
Widespread storms across central Kansas packed a punch with several reports of high winds up to 80 mph and sporadic areas of damage on July 15th, 2020. Heavy rains also prompted flood warnings for several counties with the one in Rice county lasting quite long due to flooding along Cow creek.
Flood — Jun 22, 2019
Extremely powerful Severe thunderstorms that produced a trifecta of large (in a few instances very large) hail, damaging winds that reached as high as 80 mph, and flash floods struck parts of Central as well as most of South-Central and Southeast Kansas in the afternoon and evening of the 22nd. Hardest hit were Reno and Sedgwick counties where hail reached the size of baseballs in Reno County a...
Flash Flood — Aug 18, 2019
Very few locations were spared from the severe storms that moved across the area at various times the 17th and 18th. Winds up to 70 mph and hail to golf ball size were noted along with locations of very heavy rain.
Flash Flood — May 8, 2019
A stalled frontal boundary was draped across portions of Kansas during the day on May 7th, 2019 ahead of an approaching storm system. Widespread showers and thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall developed across the area. These storms inundated areas that were already saturated from recent rainfall resulting in widespread flooding across south central Kansas. ||Significant flash flooding occur...
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 Rice 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 Rice 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.