240 flood insurance claims·$4.5M 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 Saline 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 and river flooding from severe storms dominate Saline County, supported by 32 recorded flood events and 25 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts are documented in NOAA storm narratives from July 2025, when storms produced heavy rainfall that caused flooding in the western portions of the county and closed roads.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest volume of claims at 204, with an average payout of $29,729 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded fewer claims—8 total—but had the highest average payout at $84,686 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Zone X Unshaded properties recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $29,113 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X Shaded properties recorded 8 claims averaging $7,171 with an average water depth of 4 inches. Zone Unknown properties logged 12 claims with an average payout of $2,784 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical flood claims in the county, as well as properties in Zone X that have experienced higher average damage costs per claim when flooding occurs.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Saline County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
220 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 13 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 2007, with 122 claims and $4.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms.
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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Saline County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 17, 2025 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Tornadoes And Flooding | May 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 22, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
57 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 32 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 5, 2022 | $100 |
| Flood | May 27, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 23, 2025. Two areas of storms developed during the evening hours and continued into the overnight in north central and south central Kansas. Strong and damaging winds were the main hazard with estimated wind gusts up to 75 mph. There was damage to trees and powerlines reported. A semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 70 as well. A few of the storms had hail from nickel to quarter size. These storms were efficient rainfa…
Flood · Jul 22, 2025. Two areas of storms developed during the evening hours and continued into the overnight in north central and south central Kansas. Strong and damaging winds were the main hazard with estimated wind gusts up to 75 mph. There was damage to trees and powerlines reported. A semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 70 as well. A few of the storms had hail from nickel to quarter size. These storms were efficient rainfa…
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2025. Two areas of storms developed during the evening hours and continued into the overnight in north central and south central Kansas. Strong and damaging winds were the main hazard with estimated wind gusts up to 75 mph. There was damage to trees and powerlines reported. A semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 70 as well. A few of the storms had hail from nickel to quarter size. These storms were efficient rainfa…
Flash Flood · Sep 8, 2025. Several hours of heavy rainfall impacted central Kansas with upwards of 12 inches reported in Lincon County. Several reports of flooding were relayed from Lincoln, Ellsworth, and Saline counties.
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 Saline 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.