7 flood insurance claims·$16,046 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 Rush 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Rush County, Kansas. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 18 flash flood events and 8 general flood events. For example, on May 16, 2021, a passing shortwave dropped heavy rainfall over saturated ground, causing flooding along the Highway 96 corridor. Similarly, on May 23, 2019, a stationary front fueled thunderstorms that triggered flash flooding during the late afternoon and evening.
Federal flood insurance records from FEMA show that claims are concentrated in Zone A. Within this zone, historical claims averaged 7 total filings with an average payout of $5,349 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in Zone A, areas near the Highway 96 corridor, and locations prone to runoff over saturated soils where slow-moving storms frequently stall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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 3 claims and $8,434 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Rush County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Straight-line Winds | Mar 17, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 13, 2017 |
| Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 14, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 16, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 16, 2021. Another shortwave moved across northern portions of the CWA with flooding more of an issue for areas along the Hwy 96 corridor. Storms had little motion over already saturated ground produced some flooding and a few storms produced hail and damaging wind.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2021. Another shortwave moved across northern portions of the CWA with flooding more of an issue for areas along the Hwy 96 corridor. Storms had little motion over already saturated ground produced some flooding and a few storms produced hail and damaging wind.
Flood · May 25, 2019. A s/wv trough initiated thunderstorms across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and this activity spread northeast across the area.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2019. A stalled and stationary front was the focus for thunderstorm developed during the late afternoon and evening.
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 Rush 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.