1 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 Smith 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 intense summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Smith County, Kansas, accounting for 10 of the 16 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 6 general flood events.
Severe weather events have historically driven significant local impacts. In May 2025, nearly six inches of rainfall produced flash flooding that submerged county roads north of Lebanon and impacted water levels along U.S. Highway 281 north of Smith Center. Heavy rainfall also triggered broader issues in August 2015, causing short-term flooding of rural roads and fields alongside minor flooding along the South Fork Solomon River in southern Smith County.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated near rural drainage routes, low-lying roadways, and river corridors such as the South Fork Solomon River, where intense rainfall accumulations routinely produce localized flash flooding and rural road inundation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13 NOAA storm reports from Smith County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Snowstorm | Feb 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 7, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2025 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Aug 5, 2015 | $15,000 |
| Flood | May 24, 2011 | $15,000 |
| Flood | May 19, 2011 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2011 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2010 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2010 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 18, 2025. Intense late afternoon and early thunderstorms produced large hail and localized flash flooding across a part of north central Kansas. Beloit was hit the hardest as hail reached 2��� in diameter. However, flash flooding thanks to nearly 6��� of rain was the problem in parts of Jewell and Smith counties. Smith County Emergency Management verified county roads flooded north of Lebanon along with water im…
Flood · Aug 5, 2015. During an 18-hour stretch between noon CDT on Tuesday the 4th and 6 a.m. on Wednesday the 5th, two fairly distinct rounds of widespread thunderstorm activity soaked much (but not all) of this six county North Central Kansas area with 1-4 inches of rain, and localized pockets as high as 6-8. Not surprisingly, short term flooding of rural roads and fields ensued within the zones of highest rainfall, along with minor…
Flood · May 24, 2011. The time frame between the early morning hours of Tuesday the 24th into the day on Wednesday the 25th brought widespread heavy rainfall and flooding to much of North Central Kansas, in what turned out to be the second of three significant heavy rainfall events within a 2-week span. This event unfolded in two distinct waves, with the heaviest accumulations focused from the evening of the 24th into the early morning…
Flood · May 19, 2011. Following a short stretch of dry days centered around mid-month, an abrupt transition to a very wet and stormy 24-hour period commenced in North Central Kansas during the early morning hours of Thursday the 19th, followed by a separate, more significant event focused from the evening of the 19th into the early morning hours of the 20th. Although heavy rainfall and flooding was the main story, a brief EF0 tornado t…
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 Smith 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.