Kansas, 1996

Flash Flood in Kansas, June 5 to 6, 1996

June 5 to 6, 1996 · NWS TOP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Torrential rains of 3 to 6 inches in about 3-4 hours caused widespread flash flooding in the southern one third of Jefferson county. Most rural roads were underwater and closed while Highway 24 was closed in spots due to water over the pavement.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
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  • Floods
  • Wind
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$100,000
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TOP wrote it up.

Torrential rains of 3 to 6 inches in about 3-4 hours caused widespread flash flooding in the southern one third of Jefferson county. Most rural roads were underwater and closed while Highway 24 was closed in spots due to water over the pavement. Nearly all draingage ditches overflowed their banks. The Kansas Turnpike just west of Lawrence was also closed for several hours due to the highwaters. The flooding lasted into the early morning hours.

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When
June 5, 10:06 PM CST to June 6, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson County, Williamstown
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$100,000
Coordinates
39.236, -95.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, June 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5566036.