3 flood insurance claims·$0 paid·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 Thomas 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 dominates Thomas County, driven by 25 flash flood events compared to 11 general flood events over the last 30 years. Storm systems producing heavy rainfall have caused significant local impacts, such as a May 2023 event that dropped up to five inches of rain and produced flash flooding across Thomas and Sheridan counties. Another heavy rain event in May 2024 brought prolonged rainfall to the Colby area, resulting in minor urban flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show minimal historical claims history in the area. Zone A properties recorded two claims with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded one claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A, as well as low-lying urban parcels subject to localized stormwater accumulation during slow-moving precipitation events.
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 6 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 1998, with 1 claims and $0 paid.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Thomas County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | May 22, 2008 |
| 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.
36 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 27, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 31, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2023 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 27, 2025. In the evening of the 27th, scattered storms formed across northwestern Kansas. These storms were generally slow moving, high precipitation storms with a couple stronger embedded storms that produced one inch hail and 60 MPH winds.
Flood · May 31, 2024. In the late afternoon of the 30th, storms began to fire across eastern Colorado and moved northeast through northwestern Kansas. Later in the night, another round of storms moved east through the area. These rounds of storm produced heavy, prolonged rain in the Colby area, causing minor urban flooding to occur. Between the two rounds of storms, a wake low produced a single gust of 61 MPH.
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.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2023. In the late morning of the 25th, a line of storms from eastern Kansas restrengthened as they slowly moved northwest. These storms dumped upwards of 6 inches of rain near Hoxie and caused flooding in various locations in northwest Kansas. As the day progressed, more storms began firing to the west from the outflow of this initial system. In the afternoon of the 25th, these new slow moving, high precipitation thunde…
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 Thomas 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.