Home › Kansas › Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County, Kansas

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

Relatively High overall risk
1st of 105highest risk in Kansas
$256Mexpected losses a year
15federal declarations
1 in 250homes with flood insurance
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0

Sedgwick County, Kansas has a relatively high overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 1st of 105 counties in Kansas. The costliest hazards here are inland flooding, tornadoes and cold waves. FEMA estimates about $256 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $489 per resident. Since 1965 it has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (13 major disasters). The most recent was in October 2016 (severe storms and flooding). Fewer than 1 in 100 homes here carry federal flood insurance (850 policies). Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $15 million on 990 claims here.

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

Top risks in Sedgwick County

$101 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 4 times a year.
  • 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.

Tornado

Very High
$52.8 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once a year.
  • Pick a shelter spot: a basement, or an inside room on the lowest floor with no windows.
  • Turn on emergency alerts on your phone and keep a weather radio.

Cold wave

Very High
$50.9 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 2 times a year.
  • Insulate pipes in outside walls, crawl spaces and garages.
  • Know how to shut off the main water valve.
HazardRatingScoreExpected loss a year
Inland floodingHigh96.1
$101M
TornadoVery High99.3
$53M
Cold waveVery High99.3
$51M
Heat waveHigh98.5
$19M
HailHigh99.0
$12M
Ice stormVery High99.8
$8M
LightningVery High98.1
$3M
WildfireModerate94.4
$3M
Strong windHigh87.9
$2M
EarthquakeLow75.2
$1M
Winter weatherVery High97.3
$1M
DroughtLow63.6
$387K
HurricaneVery Low42.7
$40K
LandslideVery Low49.2
$1K

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 relatively high in FEMA's measures.

Federal disaster history

Recent disasters nationwide ›

Declarations by decade

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

By type

Severe Storm8
Flood3
Tornado2
Severe Ice Storm1
Hurricane1

Most recent

Oct 20, 2016Severe Storms and FloodingMajor disaster
May 24, 2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMajor disaster
Sep 30, 2009Severe Storms and FloodingMajor disaster
Feb 1, 2008Severe Winter StormsMajor disaster
Dec 12, 2007Severe Winter StormsEmergency
Sep 10, 2005Hurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergency
Feb 8, 2005Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and FloodingMajor disaster
Feb 6, 2002Severe Winter Ice StormMajor disaster
May 4, 1999Severe Storms and TornadoesMajor disaster
Nov 5, 1998Ks-Flooding 10/31/98Major disaster
Show all 15
Jul 22, 1993Severe Storms & FloodingMajor disaster
Apr 29, 1991Severe Storms & TornadoesMajor disaster
Sep 28, 1973Severe Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingMajor disaster
May 2, 1973Severe 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 2,932 storm reports in Sedgwick County since 1950, with 18 deaths and 471 injuries and about $1.3 billion in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F5 tornado on April 26, 1991.

91tornadoes
1,397hail reports, largest 7.75 inches
1,139damaging thunderstorm winds
221floods and flash floods

Strongest tornadoes

DateStrengthNearHurt / killed
Apr 26, 1991F5–75 / 4
May 3, 1999F4Peck150 / 6
Jun 23, 1969F4–6 / 0
Apr 14, 2012EF3Haysville38 / 0
Sep 3, 1965F3–27 / 0

Most damaging storms

DateTypeNearDamage
Apr 14, 2012TornadoHaysville$500M
Apr 26, 1991Tornado–$250M
Sep 15, 2010HailGoddard$150M
May 3, 1999TornadoPeck$140M
Apr 24, 2006HailGoddard$70M
Jul 1, 1994Thunderstorm WindValley Center$50M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Jun 25, 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 Sedgwick County

Check your address flood zone ›
0.4%of homes have federal flood insurance (850 policies)
15.5%of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones are insured
$14.7 millionpaid on 990 flood claims since 1978
1998costliest year, with $3.2 million 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 Sedgwick County

$203,300median home value (Kansas $217,200, US $332,700)
1978median year homes were built (Kansas 1976, US 1980)
53%of homes built before 1980, before many modern wind, quake and flood building rules
3.1%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; 227,638 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
Butler CountyLow27
Reno CountyLow22
Cowley CountyLow25
Harvey CountyVery Low22
Sumner CountyLow25
Kingman CountyVery Low19

Cities in Sedgwick County

Common questions about Sedgwick County

What is the biggest natural hazard in Sedgwick County?

Inland flooding has the highest expected yearly losses in Sedgwick County, about $101 million a year in FEMA's estimate. Tornado is second at $52.8 million.

How many federal disasters has Sedgwick County had?

Sedgwick County has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events since 1965, including 13 major disasters. The most recent was Severe Storms and Flooding in October 2016.

Is Sedgwick County a high-risk place to live?

Its overall rating is Relatively High, 1st 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 Sedgwick County?

Standard home insurance does not cover flooding. About 1 in 250 homes in Sedgwick 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 Sedgwick County had?

NOAA records list 91 tornadoes in Sedgwick County since 1950. The strongest was an F5 tornado on April 26, 1991. The weather service has also logged 1,397 hail reports and 221 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.