County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Chautauqua County, Kansas Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 591 storm events on record for Chautauqua County, Kansas, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a thunderstorm wind event on 17 Apr 2026.

FEMA has 16 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4869 of 21 May 2025.

OpenFEMA has 1 NFIP claim on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The site shows no amount for fewer than 5 claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Chautauqua County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Chautauqua County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail205885212
Tornado25464
Flood3414153
Wind190656017
Winter46191510
Other event types91Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events59119519288

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 116 of the 591 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Chautauqua County beside the total of the counties of Kansas and of the United States
MeasureChautauquaAll counties of KansasAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202692.5114.949.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026no figure320.152.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025no figure180.5185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

At CEDAR VALE

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

At CEDAR VALE

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Flash Flood

1 mile WSW of CEDAR VALE

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

At SEDAN

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile N of CHAUTAUQUA

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile N of PERU

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NW of CEDAR VALE

High Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind81 mph (70 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles WNW of CEDAR VALE

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Hail2.75 in, baseball size

2 miles NE of HALE

Hail1.75 in, golf ball size

At SEDAN

TornadoEF unrated

7 miles W of ELGIN

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

At SEDAN

TornadoEF0

4 miles NW of SEDAN

Heavy Rain

10 miles NNE of CEDAR VALE

Flash Flood

13 miles NNE of CEDAR VALE

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles ENE of CEDAR VALE

TornadoEF0

At CHAUTAUQUA

TornadoEF0

At CHAUTAUQUA

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Chautauqua County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s01000012015
1960s00000000202
1970s20031110019
1980s000145352929
1990s83379171014971
2000s11132220212421132426195
2010s294213282615912117192
2020s8915232175 (part of the year)88

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 16 disaster declarations on record for Chautauqua County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4869: SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES.

Disaster declarations that name Chautauqua County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
DR-4869Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRESPublic
DR-4800Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4504Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3481EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4449Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDESPublic
EM-3412EmergencySevere StormTORNADOES AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4230Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1848Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOWPublic
DR-1776Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOESPublic
EM-3282EmergencySevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMSPublic
DR-1711Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
EM-3236EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
DR-1579Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, HEAVY RAINS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1402Major disasterSevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER ICE STORMIndividual, Public
DR-780Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-378Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGPublic

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Kansas page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 1 NFIP claim on record for Chautauqua County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The site shows no amount for fewer than 5 claims.

FEMA counts 0 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.

NFIP claims in Chautauqua County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s011
1980s00000000000
1990s00000000000
2000s00000000000
2010s00000000000
2020s0000000 (part of the year)0

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 1 year
NFIP claims in Chautauqua County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
19791not shownnot shown

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Very Low
Risk Index score
12.1 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Very Low
Expected Annual Loss
$4.9 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience rating
Very Low
National Risk Index of Chautauqua County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Cold waveRelatively Low$333,805
DroughtRelatively Low$88,060
EarthquakeVery Low$24,266
HailRelatively Low$146,551
Heat waveVery Low$143,073
HurricaneVery Low$3,876
Ice stormRelatively Low$94,560
Inland floodingVery Low$1,400,731
LandslideRelatively Low$4,000
LightningVery Low$21,848
Strong windRelatively Low$241,242
TornadoRelatively Low$959,744
WildfireRelatively Moderate$1,447,294
Winter weatherRelatively Low$28,480

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center goes through the 2025 season. It has no track at tropical storm strength within 100 miles of the centre point of Chautauqua County.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Chautauqua County

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Cedar Vale
  • Chautauqua
  • Elgin
  • Niotaze
  • Peru
  • Sedan

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Chautauqua County, Kansas: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/ks/chautauqua/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Chautauqua County?
NCEI has 25 tornado events on record for Chautauqua County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 2 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Chautauqua County?
NCEI has 205 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 48 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Chautauqua County?
May has 147 of the 591 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Chautauqua County?
FEMA counts 0 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.