Clay County, KS Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by ice storm. 522 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $6.12M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 522
- Most often hail
- Flood insurance policies
- 30
- 0.6% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 16.4 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 46.5 of 100
Community resilience
Very High
Score 96.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $2.59B · Agriculture value exposed: $156M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $6.6M
Risk by hazard
- Ice stormRelatively Moderate$327K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
- HailRelatively Moderate$690K/yr expected annual loss, about 8.6 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$220K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 814 years
- Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$102K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$469K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Strong windRelatively Moderate$600K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.3 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$1,079/yr expected annual loss, about once every 9 years
- TornadoRelatively Low$996K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- DroughtVery Low$8,907/yr expected annual loss, about 5.7 events a year
- EarthquakeVery Low$22.49K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,531 years
- LightningVery Low$50.55K/yr expected annual loss, about 47 events a year
- Cold waveVery Low$42.48K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.1 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 30 of 5,016 (0.6%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 168
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 27 (16%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 5
- Claims paid since 1978
- $10.75K
Flood claims paid per year
- Late spring storms$0 · 2 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 522 events, 4 deaths, $2.05M in damage
- Hail212
- Thunderstorm Wind122
- Winter Storm33
- Flash Flood31
- Tornado18
- High Wind14
- Heavy Snow13 · 3 deaths
- Drought12
- Winter Weather12
- Heat11
Events per year
45 tornadoes on record (EF0 4, EF1 8, F0 9, F1 8, F2 6, F3 3).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Heavy Snow04/11/1997
Clay
3 deaths
What happened
A late season moisture laden snow storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of accumulation across North Central and Northeast kansas generally north and west of Manhattan or along and north of a line from Abilene in Dickenson County to Baileyville in Nemaha County. Locally heavier amounts fell in some areas, especially near the Nebraska boarder where some locations received a foot or more. Some specific accumulations in inches included Marysville with 8 to 12 , Axtell 11, Belleville 10, Hanover 10, Centralia 9 1/2, Frankfort 9 and Concordia 8.The storm resulted in several fatal traffic accidents. Two passengers of another pickup truck died when the vehicle collided head-on with a semi-truck 3 1/2 miles west of Wamego in Pottawatomie County on US Highway 24 at 545 PM CST on the 11th. A second fatal accident occurred when the driver of a car hit a truck after loosing control and sliding into the opposite lane. Numerous non-fatal accidents also resulted from snow and ice covered roads, including two semi-trucks overturning around 100 PM CST east of Manhattan along Interstate 70.The snow also produced scattered damage to power lines and trees and caused part of a building to collapse in...
- Blizzard03/08/1998
Clay
1 death
What happened
A snowstorm accompanied by blizzard conditions dumped 6 or more inches of snow northwest of the Kansas Turnpike. A swath of 10 or more inches fell along and north of a line from Holton in Jackson County to Belleville in Republic County. Sabetha reported the most snow with 18 inches. Other higher amounts included Centralia 15, Blaine 13, and Holton 11. Belleville, Washington, and Frankfort all received 10 inches. Strong winds combined with the snow to produce near white out conditions in many areas and forced the closing of at least 22 US and state highways, including 60 miles of interstate 70 from the west side of Topeka to near Junction City. US Highway 75 was closed between Topeka and the Nebraska boarder. Numerous accidents and stranded cars were reported. One fatal accident occurred in northern Dickinson County due to a head on collision between two cars. Snowfall totals decreased dramatically southeast of the Kansas Turnpike with little accumulation south of Interstate 35. The snow began accumulating in North Central Kansas during late afternoon on the 7th. Rain in Northeast and East Central Kansas gradually changed to snow from early evening to shortly after...
- Flash Flood05/24/2007
Wakefield Arpt, Clay County
$700K damage
What happened
East of Industry near the Clay/Dickinson county line...flood water 6 inches deep washing out Indian HIll road in Clay County. Several locations where up to 6 inches of water flowing over roads near the Dickinson County line.
- Flash Flood05/07/2007
Clay Center, Clay County
$600K damage
What happened
Water reported over 9th road and Kiowa south of Clay Center. Road is closed.
- Flash Flood05/24/2007
Clay Center, Clay County
$200K damage
- Flash Flood05/24/2007
Broughton, Clay County
$200K damage
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind06/04/2026
Clay Center, Clay County
- Tornado1.75 mi path, 30 yd wide05/18/2026
Wakefield, Clay County
- Hail1" hail05/18/2026
Morganville, Clay County
- Hail1.25" hail05/18/2026
Morganville, Clay County
- Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind05/17/2026
Clay Center, Clay County
- Hail1.25" hail05/15/2026
Clay Center, Clay County
- Hail1.5" hail05/15/2026
Clay Center, Clay County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind05/15/2026
Clay Center Arpt, Clay County
Drinking water
8 community water systems serve about 6,443 people. Violations since 2021.
None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.
- Clay Center, City ofServes 4,138 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Clay Co Rwd 2Serves 950 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Wakefield, City ofServes 846 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+5 monitoring or reporting
- Morganville, City ofServes 183 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Clay Co Rwd 1Serves 105 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Green, City ofServes 97 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Longford, City ofServes 73 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+6 monitoring or reporting
- Hawks LandingServes 51 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Clay Ctr, 3 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 91°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 18°F in Jan. About 31.8 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 10.8 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 18°F | 0.72 in | 3.1 in |
| Feb | 44°F | 21°F | 1.09 in | 2.0 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 31°F | 1.94 in | 0.8 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 41°F | 2.83 in | 0.6 in |
| May | 76°F | 53°F | 4.90 in | - |
| Jun | 86°F | 64°F | 4.50 in | - |
| Jul | 91°F | 68°F | 3.98 in | - |
| Aug | 89°F | 66°F | 4.13 in | - |
| Sep | 81°F | 57°F | 2.89 in | - |
| Oct | 68°F | 44°F | 2.24 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 31°F | 1.49 in | 0.9 in |
| Dec | 42°F | 21°F | 1.14 in | 3.2 in |
| Year | 54°F average | 31.8 in | 10.8 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Clay County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Clay County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk3 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Clay County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Clay County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $6.12M a year. The highest-rated hazards are ice storm (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Clay County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 522 storm events affecting Clay County, most often hail (212), thunderstorm wind (122), winter storm (33).
- How many tornadoes have hit Clay County?
- 45 tornadoes have been recorded in Clay County since 1950, including 3 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Clay County have flood insurance?
- 30 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Clay County, covering about 0.6% of homes. The program has paid $10.75K on 5 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Clay County?
- At Clay Ctr, average highs reach 91°F in Jul and lows fall to 18°F in Jan, with 31.8 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.