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 Sherman 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 Sherman County, Kansas, accounting for 43 recorded events compared to 13 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather moving across the region frequently brings torrential rainfall alongside high winds and hail. For instance, storms crossing from Colorado along I-70 on June 30, 2023, produced widespread wind damage and localized flash flooding. Similarly, heavy rainfall from slow-moving storms on June 15, 2023, led to localized flash flooding specifically in northeastern Sherman County. Additional heavy rainfall occurred later in the summer during severe storms on August 7, 2023, resulting in flooding that persisted overnight in at least one location.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists monitoring property risk in the area should pay the most attention to locations prone to rapid accumulation from intense summer downpours and storms tracking along major transit corridors like I-70.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23 NOAA storm reports from Sherman County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 2005.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2011 |
| 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.
56 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 17, 2023 | $10 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2023. In the early afternoon of the 30th, storms from Colorado crossed into Kansas along I-70. These storms caused widespread wind damage and up to 2 inch in diameter hail. The highest measured wind gust was 79.4 mph at Hill City and then the station promptly stopped reporting winds. One injury did occur when a vehicle was blown off of the road. Torrential rainfall also lead to localized flash flooding.
Flood · May 17, 2023. In the late afternoon a slow moving, heavy rain producing thunderstorm was moving southeast across southwestern Nebraska and into Northwest Kansas. The heavy rain caused some county roads to be flooded in lower elevations for at least a day while the storm did produce a 60 mph wind gust as it move through the area.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2023. In the early morning hours of the 15th, scattered showers began to slowly intensify into weak storms. In the early afternoon some of the scattered storms began producing small hail, with the largest stones falling in Sherman county being nickel sized. Torrential rainfall also occurred with these storms, which lead to localized flash flooding in northeastern Sherman County.
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 2023. During the late afternoon and evening hours of August 7th, a frontal boundary moved across Northwestern Kansas allowing for showers and thunderstorms to develop within the region. Some of these thunderstorms became severe and produced large hail up to softballs in size, a brief landspout, damaging wind gusts up to an estimated 70 mph, and heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding. Winds from the storms also caused…
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 Sherman 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.