Kansas floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 105 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,604 floods and flash floods in Kansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 153 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 30, 2003 flash flood in Chase County: 6 deaths and $401,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Kansas ranks 14th of 52 states and territories by count and 31st of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Kansas, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 4,6041996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 153average
- Deaths
- 3238 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $699Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2019420 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Kansas?
Kansas averages about 153 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 14th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2019 (420). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kansas records 563 floods and flash floods since 1996, 31st of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Kansas have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Wyandotte County leads Kansas: 42 days with a flood since 1996, 277.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Sedgwick County has the most flood records (229 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Kansas?
49% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (1,136 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 9 · Feb 31 · Mar 126 · Apr 308 · May 1,136 · Jun 1,109 · Jul 632 · Aug 573 · Sep 411 · Oct 199 · Nov 56 · Dec 14 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Kansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-08-30 | Flash FloodGladstone, Chase County Torrential rains of 6-8 inches, occurring in about 3 hours, caused flash flooding of Jacob Creek along I-35, the Kansas Turnpike, near milepost 116, 12 miles southwest of Emporia. The exceptionally heavy rains turned what had been a nearly dry creek into a raging river that surged almost due north at a rate of about ... | 6 | 0 | $401K | |
| 2009-04-27 | FloodParsons Tri City Arp, Labette County One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. A slow moving frontal boundary in conjunction with rich low-level moisture and various upper level disturbances resulted in numerous rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms from the afternoon of the 25th into the evening hours of the 27th across portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. These storms ... | 3 | 2 | $9.8M | |
| 2008-09-12 | Flash FloodValley Center, Sedgwick County One storm episode: 7 records in 3 places, 2008-09-12 to 2008-09-13; the totals are the episode's. Moisture plume from the Southwest United States spread northeast towards the plains and interacted with a stationary boundary to produce a deluge of rainfall across Central and South Central Kansas. Rainfall amounts were generally around 5 inches, however isolated amounts reached up to 11.00 inches on the West side of ... | 2 | 1 | $5.7M | |
| 2018-08-14 | Flash FloodElk City Lake, Montgomery County Torrential rains within a bowl shaped landscape produced catastrophic flooding of Racket Creek. Rainfall amounts up to 8.5 inches fell in an isolated area in which the creek ran between a pair of elevated regions causing significant and rapid rises of the creek. Water was estimated to be approximately 4 feet above ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-10-04 | Flash FloodOverland Park, Johnson County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Thunderstorms on the evening of October 4th produced very heavy rainfall resulting in major flash flooding over the Kansas counties of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Up to 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a three hour period between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM CDT. In Lenexa, KS, over 5 inches of rain fell between 7:00 PM ... | 2 | 0 | $22M | |
| 1998-11-01 | FloodHarvey County · forecast zone Harvey One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. Widespread heavy rains of 6-10 inches inundated South-Central and Southeast Kansas from the evening of October 30th thru November 1st while 4-8 inches drenched Central Kansas. As a result, record flooding occurred along the following rivers:Whitewater River: At Towanda: crest: 30.53 feet on 11/01/98. (Old record: ... | 1 | 2 | $54M | |
| 2015-07-10 | Flash FloodPlymouth, Lyon County Flooding over the Kansas turnpike at mile marker 118. This shut down the northbound lanes. A 21 year old male driver hydroplaned and lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle left the road and was then swept downstream by the flood waters. He was not able to survive. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2007-07-01 | Flash FloodCoffeyville, Montgomery County One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level low pressure system and associated frontal boundary stalled across the area for several days, resulting in periods of numerous and widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms across portions of south-central and southeast Kansas from early on the 27th until July 1st. Phenomenal rainfall totals occurred ... | 1 | 0 | $212M | |
| 2007-07-01 | FloodOttawa, Franklin County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The upper level low that brought persistent heavy rain during late June had moved out on the 1st with rain ending. However, flooding continued for a couple of days early in the month. Record flooding continued along the Pottawatomie Creek at both Scipio and Lane...and at Quenemo and Pomona along the Marais des Cygnes. ... | 1 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2012-04-29 | FloodElk City Lake, Montgomery County Very heavy rains moved across the county causing significant travel problems due to hydroplaning and flooding of low lying areas. Creeks and streams had risen to the top of their banks and some ponding of water on the roads was noted. Unfortunately, an individual hydroplaned off of the roadway and into a creek. Their ... | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-01 | Flash FloodCoffeyville, Montgomery County One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $212M | |
| 2007-05-05 | Flash FloodGreat Bend, Barton County One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places, 2007-05-05 to 2007-05-07; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $60M | |
| 1998-11-01 | FloodHarvey County · forecast zone Harvey One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 2 | $54M | |
| 2007-07-01 | FloodStanton, Miami County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $37M | |
| 2007-05-23 | FloodHutchinson, Reno County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places, 2007-05-23 to 2007-05-24; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $32M | |
| 2005-10-01 | Hurricane Katrina · Flash FloodTopeka, Shawnee County One named storm filed by several offices: 14 records in 6 episodes, 2005-10-01 to 2005-10-02; the totals are the storm's. | 0 | 9 | $24M | |
| 1998-10-04 | Flash FloodOverland Park, Johnson County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $22M | |
| 2018-09-03 | Flash FloodKeats, Riley County | 0 | 3 | $20M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Kansas?
Kansas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Kansas | United States | Kansas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 535 | 20,986 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 1,698 | 54,913 | 3.1% |
| 2010s | 1,840 | 68,322 | 2.7% |
| 2020-26 | 531 | 43,563 | 1.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodCaney, Montgomery County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodColumbus, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodSmileyburg, Butler County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodAndover, Butler County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodPark City, Sedgwick County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodGalena, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodCrestline, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodScammon, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-21 | FloodSeguin, Sheridan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-21 | FloodStudley, Sheridan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-21 | FloodHoxie, Sheridan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-21 | FloodAngelus, Sheridan County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Kansas
FEMA has declared 56 disasters in Kansas for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 54 were major disasters, the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4943 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 |
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4940 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 32 |
| 2026-06-30 | DR-4926 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 5 |
| 2025-12-19 | DR-4897 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2025-09-11 | DR-4891 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 16 |
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4883 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 11 |
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4869 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires | 28 |
| 2024-09-24 | DR-4824 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 17 |
| 2024-08-20 | DR-4811 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 14 |
| 2024-07-15 | DR-4800 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 13 |
| 2023-10-26 | DR-4747 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 |
| 2019-06-20 | DR-4449 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,Landslides,and Mudslides | 70 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Wyandotte County: the county's whole recordThe Kansas county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in KansasTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Kansas40,229 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Kansas26,021 records
- Winter storms in Kansas7,432 records