County Hazards

States › Kansas › 1997

Kansas, 1997

The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.

1,857events recorded2,439 in 1996
10deaths recorded35 injuries
$23Mproperty damage (estimates)$5.7M crop damage
0disaster declarations110 NFIP claims, $1.2M paid
← 19961998 →

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.

Events by hazard

Hail871
Wind451
Winter307
Flood82
Tornado65
Cold37
Lightning20
Other19
Heat5

Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1997 was 1,857 against 2,439 in 1996.

Counties with the most recorded events

CountyEvents in 1997
Ford County65
Finney County50
Sedgwick County47
Pratt County42
Marshall County40
Cowley County39
Gray County37
Meade County33
Nemaha County32
Reno County32
Shawnee County32
Clay County31
Sherman County31
Jefferson County30
Thomas County29
Butler County27
Clark County27
Dickinson County26
Harper County26
Rawlins County26
Douglas County25
Ellis County24
Cheyenne County23
Hamilton County22
Sheridan County22

Notable events

DateCountyEvent typeMagnitudeProperty damageDeathsInjuries
10 Apr 1997PottawatomieHeavy Snow—$120,0003—
10 Apr 1997ClayHeavy Snow——3—
21 Dec 1997RileyIce Storm—$70,00012
10 Apr 1997MarshallHeavy Snow—$25,0001—
10 Apr 1997PottawatomieWinter Weather——1—
24 Dec 1997BrownHeavy Snow——1—
24 Dec 1997FranklinHeavy Snow—$60,000—9
7 Dec 1997AndersonHeavy Snow—$50,000—8
21 Dec 1997MitchellIce Storm—$100,000—4
13 Jul 1997GearyTornadoF1$200,000—3
5 Jul 1997StantonLightning———3
16 May 1997DouglasThunderstorm Wind69 mph$10,000—2
8 Oct 1997ShermanThunderstorm Wind81 mph$100,000—1
18 Aug 1997DecaturLightning———1
29 May 1997FordFlood———1
25 Oct 1997WallaceBlizzard———1
25 Oct 1997CheyenneBlizzard—$5,000,000——
25 Oct 1997JewellWinter Storm—$3,000,000——
12 Sep 1997FordFlash Flood—$2,000,000——
20 Aug 1997ClarkHail4.50 in$2,000,000——
25 May 1997SumnerTornadoF2$1,850,000——
12 Jun 1997FinneyThunderstorm Wind—$1,000,000——
18 May 1997JeffersonHail2.75 in$1,000,000——
24 Mar 1997DouglasHail1.75 in$1,000,000——
17 Jul 1997SedgwickThunderstorm Wind60 mph$500,000——
22 Aug 1997SumnerThunderstorm Wind81 mph$500,000——
9 Jul 1997JewellHail1.75 in$100,000——
11 Jun 1997PhillipsHail1.75 in$50,000——
8 Sep 1997SmithThunderstorm Wind75 mph$80,000——
21 Aug 1997DecaturThunderstorm Wind100 mph$250,000——
25 May 1997RenoTornadoF0$250,000——
22 Aug 1997GrayThunderstorm Wind—$250,000——
22 Aug 1997HarveyLightning—$200,000——
1 Jul 1997BrownHail2.75 in$100,000——
11 Jun 1997MarshallThunderstorm Wind66 mph$150,000——
8 Sep 1997OsborneThunderstorm Wind75 mph$80,000——
6 Aug 1997KearnyFlash Flood—$100,000——
29 May 1997FordHail1.75 in$100,000——
8 Oct 1997AtchisonTornadoF1$100,000——
8 Oct 1997MarionTornadoF0$100,000——

Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.

Federal disaster declarations in 1997

No declaration touching Kansas was made in 1997.

Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss

110 NFIP claims, 74 of them paid, for $1,168,167.

Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.