86
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Butler County, Kansas: 86 recorded events between 1999 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #235 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Butler County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Butler County is the 2000s, when 58 of the county's 86 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Butler County archive, flash flood makes up 4.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #235 for this hazard and #4 within Kansas, putting it in the 92.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flash flood in Butler County with 30 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2016 | ROSE HILL | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 9, 2003 | WEST CENTRAL PORTION | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2025 | WHITEWATER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2025 | LEON | 0 | $2.0M |
| Jun 1, 2022 | AUGUSTA | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2022 | AUGUSTA | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2020 | EL DORADO | 0 | $100 |
| Aug 8, 2019 | EL DORADO | 0 | $100 |
| Jul 3, 2019 | LATHAM | 0 | $100 |
| Jun 18, 2019 | ANDOVER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2019 | AUGUSTA | 0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2019 | POTWIN | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Butler County
- Hail 888
- Thunderstorm Wind 662
- Tornado 90
- Heavy Rain 66
- Flood 48
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Water was flowing across many area roads. Several swift water rescues were performed. In a couple of cases, the vehicles were swept of off the roadway. Four individuals were in those vehicles and two were found and rescued. One other individual had been swept downstream and appeared to rescuers as he walked out of a soybean field. Unfortunately, one person was not found until later and had perished.
Numerous reports of significant flash flooding were reported across portions of Butler County. These reports included, but not limited to, the following road closures: Kansas Highway 77 at McCollum, Highway 254 in El Dorado and Prairie Creek Road near Benton. Many other side streets and roads across Butler County were also impassible especially in El Dorado. In addition to the road closures, numerous reports of stalled vehicles due to high water were reported across many areas of the county. Homes were evacuated on the north and southwest side of El Dorado due to rapidly rising flood waters. Flooding on area roadways and into homes impacted the Wagon Wheel neighborhood near Santa Fe Lake. A total of 240 homes and businesses were impacted in the county with damage to county roadways as well resulting in $4 million infrastructure damages.
Heavy rainfall from numerous thunderstorms during the afternoon, evening and overnight hours on the 26th produced widespread urban and rural flooding across the county. Many locations received 3 to 5 inches of rainfall, with areas around Benton and Andover receiving over 6 inches of rainfall. Several rural and city roads were closed countywide due to high water. Nearly two dozen evacuations took place along Dry Creek near Santa Fe Lake about 3 miles northwest of Augusta, and also across portions of El Dorado. Several of those homes sustained flood damage, some of which was major, and several businesses in downtown El Dorado sustained water damage. The Wichita Eagle and Andover Journal-Advocate contributed to this report.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Butler County, Kansas?
86 flash flood events are recorded in Butler County between 1999 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Butler County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Butler County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Butler County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Butler County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/butler-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.