40
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Sumner County, Kansas: 40 recorded events between 1999 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #826 nationally and #21 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Sumner County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Sumner County is the 2000s, when 23 of the county's 40 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 Sumner County archive, flash flood makes up 3.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #826 for this hazard and #21 within Kansas, putting it in the 72.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flash flood in Sumner County with 15 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2025 | WELLINGTON ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2019 | BELLE PLAINE | 0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $100 |
| May 8, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $100 |
| May 8, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $100 |
| May 8, 2019 | WELLINGTON | 0 | $2.0M |
| May 8, 2019 | RIVERDALE | 0 | $200K |
| May 8, 2019 | BELLE PLAINE | 0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Sumner County
- Hail 553
- Thunderstorm Wind 421
- Tornado 89
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Interstate 35 or the Kansas Turnpike was closed due the Slate Creek reaching record levels and overflowing the highway at mile marker 21. The interstate was closed for hours, as crews waited for the water to recede and repair work to occur. Traffic was diverted at the Wellington exit and had to use an alternate until it reached the Kansas Oklahoma line. The Kansas Turnpike Authority said that closing that long of a stretch of the Turnpike had not occurred in 30 years.
Interstate 35 (The Kansas Turnpike) was closed due to high water at mile marker 16. This 2 mile stretch of road closure caused interstate traffic to be diverted at the Wellington, Kansas exit (mile marker 19) through Wellington, which then returned to the interstate at the South Haven, Kansas (mile marker 4) interchange.
Law enforcement reported that water was flowing over Highway 81 at Maize near South Haven. They also reported that vehicle was swept into ditch at this location. Highway 81 at Belle Plaine was also reported to be under 1 foot of water.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Sumner County, Kansas?
40 flash flood events are recorded in Sumner County between 1999 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Sumner County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Sumner County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Sumner 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 Sumner County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/sumner-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.