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Finney County, Kansas

Natural disaster risk, federal disaster history and flood insurance facts.

Relatively Low overall risk
14th of 105highest risk in Kansas
$24Mexpected losses a year
9federal declarations
1 in 500homes with flood insurance
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0

Finney County, Kansas has a relatively low overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is higher than 64% of US counties. It ranks 14th of 105 counties in Kansas. The costliest hazards here are hail, drought and inland flooding. FEMA estimates about $24 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $614 per resident. Since 1965 it has been included in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (7 major disasters). The most recent was in September 2024 (severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding). Only 21 homes here carry federal flood insurance. Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $34,000 on 13 claims here.

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; OpenFEMA declarations to Nov 6, 2026; NFIP records. Updated November 6, 2026.

Top risks in Finney County

Hail

High
$5.4 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 10 times a year.
  • Ask about the roof age and any impact-rated shingles.
  • Check your home policy for a separate wind and hail deductible.
$5.4 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 98 times a year.
  • Check local water restrictions.
  • Choose drought-tolerant plants.
$4.4 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once every 2 years.
  • Check the FEMA flood map for your address, and ask the seller or landlord about past flooding.
  • Price a flood policy now. Most new federal policies take 30 days to start.
HazardRatingScoreExpected loss a year
HailHigh97.7
$5M
DroughtHigh98.3
$5M
Inland floodingLow37.8
$4M
TornadoModerate76.9
$3M
Cold waveModerate73.3
$2M
Strong windModerate81.9
$1M
Winter weatherHigh90.0
$409K
LightningModerate58.0
$312K
Ice stormModerate65.2
$170K
EarthquakeVery Low29.9
$75K
Heat waveVery Low20.7
$67K
WildfireVery Low46.4
$38K
LandslideVery Low8.3
$19

Scores are percentiles: a score of 90 means higher risk than about 90% of US counties for that hazard. Hazards FEMA does not rate here are left out. Social vulnerability is relatively low and community resilience is very low in FEMA's measures.

Federal disaster history

Recent disasters nationwide ›

Declarations by decade

Federal declarations for natural events that included Finney County. 2020s bar runs to November 2026.

By type

Severe Storm5
Flood1
Tornado1
Hurricane1
Snowstorm1

Most recent

Sep 24, 2024Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disaster
Oct 26, 2023Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disaster
Jun 16, 2017Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMajor disaster
Jun 25, 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesMajor disaster
Dec 12, 2007Severe Winter StormsEmergency
Jan 7, 2007Severe Winter StormMajor disaster
Sep 10, 2005Hurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergency
Jul 18, 1967Tornadoes, Severe Storms & FloodingMajor disaster
Jun 23, 1965FloodingMajor disaster

Kansas also had 10 statewide declarations that did not name single counties.

Storm history since 1950

Tornado risk by county ›

The National Weather Service has logged 1,319 storm reports in Finney County since 1950, with 2 deaths and 44 injuries and about $100 million in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F3 tornado on June 23, 1967.

99tornadoes
625hail reports, largest 5.5 inches
550damaging thunderstorm winds
15floods and flash floods

Strongest tornadoes

DateStrengthNearHurt / killed
Jun 23, 1967F3–30 / 1
Jun 16, 1962F3–0 / 0
May 16, 1995F3–0 / 0
May 18, 1977F2–0 / 0
Jun 28, 1973F2–0 / 0

Most damaging storms

DateTypeNearDamage
Jul 1, 1999HailGarden City$53M
Jun 23, 1967Tornado–$25M
Sep 18, 1993HailHolcomb$5M
May 16, 1995HailGarden City$5M
May 18, 1977Tornado–$3M
Aug 20, 2007Thunderstorm WindHolcomb$2M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Jul 23, 2026. Tornado records start in 1950, hail and wind in 1955, and floods and other storm types in 1996, so older decades undercount. Damage is in dollars of the year it happened and is often an estimate. Winter storms, heat and hurricanes are logged by forecast zone, not county, so they are not counted here.

Flood insurance in Finney County

Check your address flood zone ›
0.2%of homes have federal flood insurance (21 policies)
0%of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones are insured
$33,513paid on 13 flood claims since 1978
2014costliest year, with $12,405 paid

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) records only; private flood policies are not included. Home counts as of Aug 3, 2026. Since 2021 NFIP prices each home separately under Risk Rating 2.0, so your price depends on the building, not the county. Ask an agent for a quote.

Homes in Finney County

$201,400median home value (Kansas $217,200, US $332,700)
1978median year homes were built (Kansas 1976, US 1980)
54%of homes built before 1980, before many modern wind, quake and flood building rules
12.5%of homes are mobile homes, which are the least safe in tornadoes and high winds

Older homes and mobile homes usually suffer more damage in storms, floods and earthquakes, and can cost more to insure. If you are buying, ask about roof age, foundation bolting and any retrofits. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates; 14,355 housing units.

Compare in Kansas

All 105 ›
Largest countiesOverall riskTop hazard
Johnson CountyHighInland flooding
Sedgwick CountyHighInland flooding
Shawnee CountyModerateInland flooding
Wyandotte CountyModerateInland flooding
Douglas CountyLowInland flooding
Leavenworth CountyLowInland flooding
Riley CountyLowInland flooding
Butler CountyLowInland flooding

Neighboring counties

CountyOverall riskDeclarations
Grant CountyVery Low7
Gray CountyVery Low12
Scott CountyLow8
Kearny CountyVery Low9
Haskell CountyVery Low12
Ness CountyVery Low19
Hodgeman CountyVery Low23
Lane CountyVery Low10

Cities in Finney County

Common questions about Finney County

What is the biggest natural hazard in Finney County?

Hail has the highest expected yearly losses in Finney County, about $5.4 million a year in FEMA's estimate. Drought is second at $5.4 million.

How many federal disasters has Finney County had?

Finney County has been included in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events since 1965, including 7 major disasters. The most recent was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding in September 2024.

Is Finney County a high-risk place to live?

Its overall rating is Relatively Low, 14th highest of 105 in Kansas. A county rating covers the whole area. Risk at one address can be much higher or lower, so check the FEMA flood map and ask about the home's history.

Do I need flood insurance in Finney County?

Standard home insurance does not cover flooding. About 1 in 500 homes in Finney County has federal flood insurance. Lenders require it in mapped high-risk zones, but many flood claims come from outside those zones.

How many tornadoes has Finney County had?

NOAA records list 99 tornadoes in Finney County since 1950. The strongest was an F3 tornado on June 23, 1967. The weather service has also logged 625 hail reports and 15 floods here.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, and NFIP policy and claims data. Hazard Compass is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. These figures describe the whole county, not a single property, and are not insurance or safety advice. Report a problem.