County Hazards

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Kansas

The recorded hazard history of every county in Kansas: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, and National Flood Insurance Program claims since 1978.

Kansas has 94,007 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950 across 105 counties, led by hail: 115.0 per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally.

NCEI attributes 475 deaths and 4,268 injuries to those events, with property damage estimated at $5.3B. By events per 100 square miles the leading counties are Wyandotte, Johnson and Sedgwick.

FEMA lists 96 disaster declarations touching the state since 1953, most recently Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (1 Sep 2026). NFIP policyholders filed 7,901 flood claims since 1978, $117M paid; 5,331 residential policies are in force.

2,357events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
94,007events since 1950115.0 per 100 sq mi (US 56.0)
96disaster declarations since 1953last 1 Sep 2026
7,901NFIP flood claims$117M paid

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. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026; declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Compared with the United States

MeasureKansasUS
Recorded events since 195094,0071,977,440
Events per 100 square miles115.056.0
Events per 10,000 residents320.359.6
Deaths recorded by NCEI47526,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$5.3B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents2.78.1
Average paid NFIP claim$19K$43K
Residential flood policies in force5,3313,139,862

Hazard mix

Hail40,229
Wind29,502
Winter7,432
Tornado4,965
Flood4,604
Drought2,928
Other2,012
Heat897
Cold691
Lightning342
Fog313
Wildfire92
HazardEventsShare of USDeaths
■ Hail40,2299.5%—
■ Wind29,5024.2%26
■ Winter7,4322.6%120
■ Tornado4,9656.1%238
■ Flood4,6042.5%32
■ Drought2,9283.4%—
■ Other2,0124.4%15
■ Heat8971.6%20
■ Cold6911.3%5
■ Lightning3421.9%10
■ Fog3131.7%6
■ Wildfire921.0%3

Events by decade

Hail: 265Tornado: 590Wind: 338
Hail: 776Tornado: 482Wind: 755
Hail: 1048Tornado: 354Wind: 866
Hail: 1850Tornado: 364Wind: 1637
Hail: 7543Tornado: 795Flood: 535Wind: 3769Winter: 814Heat: 42Cold: 131Drought: 50Wildfire: 2Lightning: 98Other: 53
Hail: 14342Tornado: 1232Flood: 1698Wind: 7699Winter: 3296Heat: 328Cold: 260Drought: 227Wildfire: 6Lightning: 187Fog: 238Other: 494
Hail: 10166Tornado: 839Flood: 1840Wind: 8026Winter: 1897Heat: 502Cold: 106Drought: 1477Wildfire: 36Lightning: 47Fog: 4Other: 732
Hail: 4239Tornado: 309Flood: 531Wind: 6412Winter: 1425Heat: 25Cold: 194Drought: 1174Wildfire: 48Lightning: 10Fog: 71Other: 733
1,1931950s2,0131960s2,2681970s3,8511980s13,8321990s30,0072000s25,6722010s15,1712020s
Recorded events in Kansas by decade and hazard group, including events recorded by forecast zone. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Counties by events per 100 square miles

CountyEventsLast 12 moPer 100 sq miPer 10k residentsDominantTornadoesHailDeclarationsNFIP claimsNRI risk
Wyandotte County55926368.633.5Wind1118826434Relatively Moderate
Johnson County1,51455319.724.7Hail45657121,155Relatively High
Sedgwick County3,150136316.060.1Hail911,39718990Relatively High
Shawnee County1,65247303.792.7Wind5262917368Relatively Moderate
Douglas County1,06824234.389.5Wind4137521150Relatively Low
Leavenworth County92316199.2112.3Hail3232323208Relatively Low
Ford County2,13150194.0623.8Hail1159801655Relatively Low
Jefferson County1,01419190.4550.8Hail373791949Very Low
Sherman County1,85966176.03,153.5Wind110712110Very Low
Geary County64012166.4178.1Wind202111631Very Low
Harvey County83635154.9247.2Hail5332325403Very Low
Pratt County1,10422150.21,202.5Hail755761912Relatively Low
Cherokee County87433148.7456.9Wind462592886Relatively Low
Russell County1,29238145.81,927.5Wind79493230Very Low
Osage County1,02517145.3650.1Hail514592614Very Low
Barton County1,29830145.0514.8Hail10553428513Relatively Low
Montgomery County92732144.0297.5Wind3732815311Relatively Low
Butler County2,02152141.4297.7Hail9089529507Relatively Low
Seward County90421141.3415.7Hail394071239Very Low
Cowley County1,58532140.8459.5Hail8972727142Relatively Low
Riley County85217139.7118.0Hail3032318406Relatively Low
Saline County1,00457139.4186.3Hail5139319240Relatively Low
Crawford County79013134.0202.0Wind3823924149Relatively Low
Ellis County1,19419132.7414.7Hail665391597Very Low
McPherson County1,18442131.8392.8Hail534391937Very Low
Reno County1,63034129.8265.4Hail8872024108Relatively Low
Franklin County74011129.4284.8Wind292502228Relatively Low
Cloud County90321126.21,011.4Hail53407162Very Low
Finney County1,63330125.4428.5Wind996251113Relatively Low
Lyon County1,04719123.5327.2Hail503842764Relatively Low
Scott County88417123.21,722.9Hail60426100Relatively Low
Dickinson County1,04147122.9564.0Hail484771786Relatively Low
Ellsworth County87528122.31,381.0Hail50386197Very Low
Grant County68722119.5938.0Hail2833291Very Low
Pawnee County8755116.01,405.6Hail45457297Very Low
Thomas County1,24767116.01,583.1Hail62493133Very Low
Gray County1,00210115.31,775.3Hail53478140Very Low
Neosho County65315114.3413.7Wind2918921100Very Low
Ottawa County82421114.31,411.4Hail313831839Very Low
Rice County82716113.9880.7Hail463282626Very Low
Allen County56314112.5451.7Hail261961491Very Low
Rush County80711112.42,732.8Hail53449237Very Low
Cheyenne County1,14242112.04,337.3Hail48480120Very Low
Sumner County1,31351111.1586.6Hail8956127211Relatively Low
Edwards County6873110.52,425.8Hail533592910Very Low
Labette County71215110.3357.6Wind4323515100Relatively Low
Stanton County74528109.53,644.8Hail27392120Very Low
Kingman County94132109.01,273.0Hail66402219Very Low
Republic County77618108.21,664.5Hail70355179Very Low
Mitchell County7573107.91,317.0Hail502991416Very Low
Lincoln County77423107.62,666.2Hail33327162Very Low
Harper County85720107.01,607.6Hail64365221Very Low
Pottawatomie County9009107.0349.0Hail374082072Very Low
Coffey County65720104.8788.0Hail26245195Very Low
Clay County67113104.0830.8Hail45289175Very Low
Brown County5911103.5625.1Hail44206191Very Low
Morton County75211103.12,793.5Hail2035080Very Low
Kiowa County7448103.03,110.4Hail64396340Very Low
Rawlins County1,09740102.64,303.6Hail53483110Very Low
Logan County1,09757102.24,030.1Hail39488150Very Low
Stafford County8089102.02,003.0Hail72437270Very Low
Haskell County5741199.41,564.9Hail37254140Very Low
Graham County8921799.33,716.7Hail41360160Very Low
Wallace County8892797.35,895.2Hail45382170Very Low
Hodgeman County8301096.54,853.8Hail60408250Very Low
Wilson County544795.4638.0Hail232061772Very Low
Kearny County8292495.22,130.6Hail45440111Very Low
Wichita County6842695.23,285.3Hail3732980Very Low
Anderson County540793.2694.3Hail15176184Very Low
Sheridan County8356493.23,369.7Hail50355174Very Low
Norton County8172093.01,529.4Hail31358130Very Low
Wabaunsee County7361592.71,056.6Hail47291278Very Low
Chautauqua County591892.51,740.8Hail25205161Very Low
Miami County5323092.4153.8Hail221871627Relatively Low
Jackson County606792.3457.0Hail36248204Very Low
Morris County6381291.81,191.2Hail39277280Very Low
Marion County8614791.2735.1Hail553402218Very Low
Gove County9764591.13,542.6Hail62450130Very Low
Decatur County8131891.02,955.3Hail46357120Very Low
Nemaha County6501190.6636.3Hail39245174Very Low
Comanche County7131190.44,269.5Hail46425220Very Low
Atchison County386189.5237.7Hail22131203Very Low
Phillips County783488.41,626.2Hail40328190Very Low
Bourbon County561788.3391.7Hail181731864Very Low
Meade County8581087.72,133.3Hail57482152Very Low
Marshall County7851587.2786.7Hail423281927Very Low
Greeley County6772987.05,191.7Hail43297100Very Low
Osborne County776186.92,218.4Hail48352198Very Low
Trego County768986.32,749.7Hail61410130Very Low
Lane County6121085.33,910.5Hail45299110Very Low
Rooks County755784.81,562.8Hail53317190Very Low
Washington County7481783.61,357.3Hail37398212Very Low
Jewell County748682.22,546.8Hail43332171Very Low
Clark County7961281.74,026.3Hail41471170Very Low
Stevens County591881.31,116.6Hail26301120Very Low
Smith County710479.31,985.5Hail42271160Very Low
Hamilton County7782278.13,132.0Hail36395110Very Low
Barber County8811677.72,143.6Hail42426193Very Low
Ness County830677.23,106.3Hail46436212Very Low
Woodson County368973.91,186.3Hail14132250Very Low
Elk County462871.71,892.7Hail31159201Very Low
Doniphan County281071.4376.1Hail19902295Very Low
Linn County404868.0414.5Hail15132191Very Low
Chase County4971464.31,913.0Hail471802229Very Low
Greenwood County6781559.31,141.6Hail47229256Very Low

Events are county-recorded plus zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county. NRI risk is FEMA's National Risk Index overall rating (December 2025).

Counties by flood claims per 100 policies in force

CountyClaims, last 10 yearsPolicies in forceClaims per 100 policiesClaims since 1978Paid
Butler County7415149.0507$13M
Sumner County2710725.2211$3.7M
Johnson County13654425.01,155$13M
Riley County6731421.3406$9.2M
Reno County2918515.7108$1.2M
Douglas County3426013.1150$1.9M
Sedgwick County9385010.9990$15M
Leavenworth County121309.2208$3.0M
Ellis County91078.497$246K
Shawnee County587148.1368$4.0M
Saline County121786.7240$4.6M
Harvey County91426.3403$3.2M

Counties with at least 100 residential policies in force. Claims by year of loss in the ten years to 2026, divided by residential policies in force as of 3 Aug 2026; a rough ratio, since policies in force today differ from those in force when the losses occurred.

Federal disaster declarations by year

195319902026
Declarations touching Kansas by year declared, 1953 to 2026; each disaster number counted once.
Incident typeDeclarations
Severe Storm50
Fire14
Flood13
Tornado6
Biological5
Snowstorm3
Severe Ice Storm2
Winter Storm1
Hurricane1
Other1

Most recent declarations (each disaster number once, with the number of counties designated):

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitleCounties
1 Sep 2026DR-4943Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding21
1 Sep 2026DR-4940Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding30
30 Jun 2026DR-4926Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding5
19 Dec 2025DR-4897Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding12
11 Sep 2025DR-4891Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding16
22 Jul 2025DR-4883Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding11
21 May 2025DR-4869Major disasterSevere StormSevere Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires28
14 Mar 2025FM-5556Fire management assistanceFireYates Center Fire1
24 Sep 2024DR-4824Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding17
20 Aug 2024DR-4811Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding14
15 Jul 2024DR-4800Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding13
28 Apr 2024DR-4774Major disasterWinter StormSevere Winter Storm17
26 Oct 2023DR-4747Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding21
13 Apr 2023FM-5463Fire management assistanceFireHaddam Fire1
25 May 2022DR-4654Major disasterSnowstormSevere Winter Storms And Straight-Line Winds20

Flood insurance claims by year

197820022026
NFIP claims in Kansas by year of loss, 1978 to 2026.

7,901 claims, 6,002 paid, $117M in total; 463 repetitive-loss and 62 severe repetitive-loss properties. ZIP codes in Kansas with flood claims (169).

Year by year

Each year's events, declarations and claims: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011 · 2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000 · 1999 · 1998 · 1997 · and earlier years back to 1950

Questions and answers

Which Kansas counties have the most recorded tornadoes?

Ford (115), Sherman (110) and Barton (105), by NCEI count since 1950. Larger counties record more events; the state table also ranks by events per 100 square miles.

Which Kansas counties have the most flood insurance claims?

Johnson (1,155), Sedgwick (990) and Barton (513) since 1978, in the OpenFEMA NFIP claims file.

How many federal disaster declarations has Kansas had?

96 declarations since 1953 (major disaster, emergency and fire management assistance declarations combined), 3 of them in 2026 so far.

How does Kansas compare with the national rate?

115.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally; 2.7 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 8.1.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 refreshed 29 Sep 2026; OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026); FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; US Census Bureau 2021 population and area. Built 30 Sep 2026. Methodology.