8 flood insurance claims·$112,868 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 Wabaunsee 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 severe summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk in Wabaunsee County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 35 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 10 general flood events. Severe weather has driven significant flooding in the area, such as storms in August 2019 that produced flash flooding alongside large hail and damaging winds, and torrential rainfall on April 27, 2016, which brought 5 to 6 inches of rain over a 6 to 7 hour period with a recurrence interval of 50 to 75 years.
Federal insurance claims data reflects the vulnerability of specific zones within the county. Properties located in FEMA Zone A have accounted for 7 historical claims with an average payout of $17,839 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. By contrast, Zone X has recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $5,831 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in Zone A, where the frequency and severity of historical claims indicate a measurable risk of structural water damage during heavy precipitation and flash flooding 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 1993, with 2 claims and $5,970 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Wabaunsee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2024 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 8, 2024 |
| 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 |
| Burr Oak Fire | Apr 5, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 15, 2019. Another round of thunderstorms produced reports of large hail and damaging winds during the middle of the month. Rounds of storms produced the hail and wind August 15 through August 17th. Flash flooding also occurred with some of the storms during this period.
Flood · Apr 27, 2016. Severe thunderstorms developed between 3 and 4pm on April 26th along an old outflow boundary and moved north northeast across northeast Kansas. The storms produced at least 2 brief weak tornadoes before 6pm however the storms thereafter become more widespread and continued to move across the same areas producing torrential flooding rains. Some areas received between 5 and 6 inches of rainfall from the storms ove…
Flash Flood · Sep 24, 2016. Several rounds of heavy rainfall resulted in numerous flash-flooding reports.
Flash Flood · Jun 5, 2015. Several MCSs affected northeast Kansas during this 2-day event. Each round of storms brought hail, gusty winds, and flooding rains. Each of the MCSs formed near the NE/KS state line and moved southeastward across the area. The environment was able to recover after each round, and the convection remained partially surface based through out the event.
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 Wabaunsee 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.