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Bourbon County, Kansas
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Bourbon County, Kansas, has 561 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them hail.
That is 88.3 events per 100 square miles, below the Kansas figure of 115.0, and 391.7 per 10,000 residents against 320.3 statewide.
7 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 0 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $38M and crop damage at $41M.
FEMA has designated the county in 18 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (major disaster, 22 Jul 2025).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 64 claims since 1978, of which 53 were paid, totalling $2.4M (about $46K per paid claim). FEMA counts 11 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($10M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Kansas and the United States
| Measure | Bourbon County | Kansas | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 561 | 94,007 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 88.3 | 115.0 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 391.7 | 320.3 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 7 | 2,357 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 0 | 475 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $38M | $5.3B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 2.7 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $46K | $19K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 27.3 | 15.9 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 353 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 164 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2013 | Hail | Hail | 2.50 in | $30M | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2012 | Drought | Drought | — | $165K | $15M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Aug 2011 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $10M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Dec 2022 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $6.5M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Dec 2023 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $4.8M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Apr 2007 | Frost/Freeze | Cold | — | — | $4.0M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jul 2009 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $2.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Sep 1998 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $1.0M | $978K | — | — | County |
| 30 Jan 2002 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $600K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Apr 2014 | Tornado | Tornado | EF1 | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Apr 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 85 mph | $350K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | — | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Mar 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 81 mph | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Sep 1973 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Sep 1973 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 May 2002 | Flood | Flood | — | — | $200K | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 28 Jun 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 3 May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 60 mph | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 70 mph | $150K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jul 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 60 mph | $130K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jul 2025 | DR-4883 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 15 Jul 2024 | DR-4800 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 29 Mar 2020 | DR-4504 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3481 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 20 Jun 2019 | DR-4449 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,Landslides,And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 22 Oct 2013 | DR-4150 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 9 Mar 2010 | DR-1885 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Public assistance |
| 30 Sep 2009 | DR-1860 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 25 Jun 2009 | DR-1849 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 9 Jul 2008 | DR-1776 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 12 Dec 2007 | EM-3282 | Emergency | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms | Public assistance |
| 2 Jul 2007 | DR-1711 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2005 | EM-3236 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 6 Feb 2002 | DR-1402 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 14 Oct 1998 | DR-1254 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 22 Oct 1986 | DR-780 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 2 May 1973 | DR-378 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 15 Jul 1969 | DR-267 | Major disaster | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | $8,983 | $8,983 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | $7,842 | $3,921 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | $86,037 | $43,018 |
| 1998 | 19 | 16 | $1,122,305 | $70,144 |
| 1994 | 13 | 13 | $340,349 | $26,181 |
| 1993 | 7 | 5 | $36,124 | $7,225 |
| 1992 | 7 | 6 | $137,739 | $22,956 |
| 1990 | 2 | 1 | $1,960 | $1,960 |
| 1986 | 7 | 6 | $695,745 | $115,958 |
| 1985 | 1 | 1 | $1,024 | $1,024 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $4,415,479 | |
| Hail | $1,427,131 | |
| Tornado | $906,000 | |
| Cold wave | $750,158 | |
| Drought | $683,701 | |
| Strong wind | $656,966 | |
| Heat wave | $622,754 | |
| Ice storm | $254,619 | |
| Lightning | $191,852 | |
| Earthquake | $162,590 | |
| Winter weather | $130,438 | |
| Wildfire | $30,882 | |
| Hurricane | $7,558 | |
| Landslide | $805 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 66701 62
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Bourbon County, KS?
NCEI records 173 hail events in Bourbon County since 1950, in 44 different years; that is about 2.2 recorded events a year. 41 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Bourbon County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 18 tornadoes in Bourbon County since 1950, 5 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Bourbon County?
22 Jul 2025: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 18 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Bourbon County, and how much was paid?
64 NFIP claims since 1978, 53 of them paid, for $2.4M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Bourbon County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Bourbon County compare with the rest of Kansas?
88.3 recorded events per 100 square miles against 115.0 statewide, and 4.5 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.7. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.