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 Wichita 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 Wichita County, Kansas, accounting for the vast majority of recorded flood events over the last thirty years compared to general river floods.
Severe weather events can trigger rapid inundation, as occurred in May 2016 when slow-moving storms dropped prolonged heavy rain across the area. Flash flooding was also documented in July 2017, when heavy rainfall from slow-moving thunderstorms caused flash flooding over Highway 25 near the Wichita and Logan County line, and again in September 2021 when a severe storm produced flash flooding in the city of Leoti.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in low-lying areas, near small streams, and along key transportation routes such as Highway 25 where heavy rainfall can quickly accumulate.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3 NOAA storm reports from Wichita County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 2005.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2021 | $10 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Aug 8, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Oct 7, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2021. Storms initially developed around mid-day in west-central Kansas along an outflow boundary producing heavy rain and up to 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts in Wichita and Logan counties. Throughout the afternoon, the environment became more favorable for storms as the initial storms expanded north to the Nebraska border with embedded supercell storms. During the afternoon, these storms were able to produce multiple t…
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2021. During the late afternoon hours, isolated thunderstorms developed over portions of Northwest Kansas. One storm in Sheridan County produced up to 60 mph wind gusts along with penny to quarter sized hail. Another storm produced flash flooding in the city of Leoti.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2017. During the afternoon a thunderstorm south of Halford produced hail up to quarter size. Later in the afternoon heavy rainfall from slow moving thunderstorms produced flash flooding over Highway 25 near the Wichita and Logan County line.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2016. Severe thunderstorms came in three rounds for this event as numerous upper level disturbances moved over Northwest Kansas. The first round developed during the early afternoon in Wichita county and was confined to one storm which produced golf ball size hail and flash flooding. The next round came during the latter half of the evening, producing hen egg size hail near Atwood and in Rexford, and wind damage in Sh…
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 Wichita 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.