Natural hazards · Buffalo

Buffalo, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buffalo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Buffalo?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Buffalo to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hail.

Inland flooding37%Hail22%Tornadoes13%Strong wind13%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Buffalo faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

37% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Strong wind

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Buffalo flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Buffalo.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Buffalo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cloud County.

Disasters that hit Buffalo

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Cloud County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BuffaloDeclared for Cloud County only

Cloud County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Buffalo

Buffalo and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Norwaymostly inland floodingHigh

Buffalomostly inland floodingModerate

Sibleymostly inland floodingModerate

Arionmostly inland floodingModerate

Summitmostly inland floodingModerate

Grantmostly inland floodingModerate

Lincolnmostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Buffalo is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Buffalo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Buffalo. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.