Flash Flood in Kansas
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Kansas, year by year, with the most significant episodes. 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.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in Kansas.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,958
- Deaths
- 21
- Injuries
- 30
- Damage
- $342 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 3 to 12, 1999Minor roof damage inflicted to a business in Mayfield. Just north of Mayfield, a metal outbuilding was partially unroofed with minor roof damage inflicted to the adjacent house.
- Flash Flood in Kansas, August 30 to 31, 2003Torrential rains of 6-8 inches, occurring in about 3 hours, caused flash flooding of Jacob Creek along I-35, the Kansas Turnpike, near milepost 116, 12 miles southwest of Emporia.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, April 25 to 30, 2009A slow moving frontal boundary in conjunction with rich low-level moisture and various upper level disturbances resulted in numerous rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms from the afternoon of the 25th into the evening hours of the 27th across portions of central,…
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 23, 2008Intense supercell thunderstorms moved north across the region during the afternoon and evening hours producing 10 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado just SW of Quinter. Extremely heavy rainfall also resulted in flooding in many areas.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Kansas, May 28, 2019In the evening of May 28 a strong tornado formed in Douglas County and grew to a wide EF-4 tornado. This is the same storm that caused the storm chasing group to fly off the road just south of Lawrence, Kansas.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 12 to 13, 2004Brief touchdown in open country.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kansas, September 11 to 15, 2008Moisture plume from the Southwest United States spread northeast towards the plains and interacted with a stationary boundary to produce a deluge of rainfall across Central and South Central Kansas.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kansas, February 28, 2007A strong storm system lifted northeast into the region from Oklahoma, during the late afternoon and early evening hours on February 28th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, July 3 to 4, 2005Occurred on west side of town. One large tree uprooted, falling onto house.
- Flash Flooding in Kansas, October 4 to 5, 1998Thunderstorms on the evening of October 4th produced very heavy rainfall resulting in major flash flooding over the Kansas counties of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Up to 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a three hour period between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM CDT.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kansas, August 3 to 27, 1998Lightning set fire to two oil tank batteries.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, June 20, 2011A strong, slow-moving low pressure system moved across northwest Kansas during the afternoon, resulting in over a dozen tornadoes, some strong and long-lived. The strongest tornadoes occurred over Graham and Norton counties. Other reports of baseball sized hail were received.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kansas, May 8, 2009A complex of thunderstorms moved southeast out of Northwest Kansas into Central and South Central Kansas during the early morning hours of May 8th, 2009.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 29 to 30, 2008A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from south of Palco in Rooks County to community of Jewell in Jewell County.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kansas, July 1 to 4, 2007An upper level low pressure system and associated frontal boundary stalled across the area for several days, resulting in periods of numerous and widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms across portions of south-central and southeast Kansas from early on the 27th until July…
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, June 12 to 13, 2004Several power lines were downed.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, June 8 to 30, 1998Two cars side-swiped on Highway 18. One patrol car sustained broken windshield. Part of the wheat crop also sustained damage.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, October 6, 2016An unseasonably warm moist airmass was in place across the southern and central Plains on Thursday, October 6th, 2016. Storms developed over southeast and south central Kansas during the early afternoon hours along a weak outflow boundary.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kansas, August 14 to 15, 2018Very heavy rains occurred across portions of southeast Kansas producing prolific flash flooding. Unfortunately, two people lost their lives while trying to drive across a water covered road. Rainfall amounts up 8.5 inches were noted.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kansas, April 14, 2012A vigorous upper level system combined with copious moisture and an advancing warm front to produce widespread thunderstorms, some producing tornadoes.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 15 to 16, 2003The tornado began 1 mile west of town and first tore through the northwest part of Liberal destroying several mobile homes and throwing a pickup into the debris. Other homes in the area received heavy roof damage.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 2008A series of intense supercell thunderstorms moved north across the area during the afternoon and early evening hours. Long-track tornadoes, flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds were reported across much of northwest Kansas into extreme southern Nebraska.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, June 4, 2005Three farmsteads or businesses sustained damage with a total of 15 buildings damaged or destroyed. Several cars were rolled and a combine was moved a considerable distance. A salvage yard was near one of the houses damaged by the tornado.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Kansas, June 3, 2005Fast flowing water washed out bridge and closed U.S. Highway 56.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 28 to 29, 2013Supercell Thunderstorms developed along a stationary boundary and produced large tornadoes during the afternoon and evening of May 28th 2013. 2 tornadoes occurred in Nemaha county Kansas and at least 1 violent long lived tornado occurred in Ottawa County Kansas.
More
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.