Flash flooding strikes Kansas with water rescues around Wichita

Last Updated: June 3, 2025By Emerald Coast Chronicle

Thunderstorms dropped a quick half foot of rain in south-central Kansas on Tuesday.

WICHITA, Kan. – Strong to severe thunderstorms swept through Central Kansas on Tuesday, triggering life-threatening flooding in and around eastern Wichita.

The National Weather Service office that covers the Wichita area issued a Flash Flood Emergency – the highest level of flood alert – for more than 200,000 residents after rainfall rates reached between 1-3 inches per hour.

A three-hour radar loop. Yellow shaded areas denotes a Severe Thunderstorm Watch while red shaded areas denote a Tornado Watch.
Warning boxes are color coded as: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, Tornado Warnings with confirmed tornado in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green, and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink.
(FOX Weather)

Within the Flash Flood Emergency zone, storm totals were expected to reach at least 6 inches of rainfall, which overwhelmed drainage systems and transformed roadways into rivers.

The heaviest of the rainfall occurred east of Interstate 135, where multiple water rescues were reported throughout the afternoon.

7 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FLASH FLOODS

Emergency officials encouraged residents to stay home, but if people must venture out, to avoid venturing on roadways of unknown water depths.

“Every time it rains heavily, we respond to calls from people who thought they could make it. And sometimes, those stories don’t end well,” the Wichita Police Department stated.

First responders attended to nearly 100 calls for service which involved some type of assistance for people needing to reach higher ground.

According to NWS forecasters, just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet and a foot of floodwater can carry a car away.

Significant flooding was also reported in nearby El Dorado, where vehicles stood no chance on some roadways.

Wichita-area flood reports from 6/3/2025

(FOX Weather)

KNOW YOUR FLOOD TERMINOLOGY: WHAT FLOOD WATCHES, WARNINGS AND EMERGENCIES REALLY MEAN

The Flash Flood Emergency alert is only in the most dangerous flooding situations, when catastrophic, life-threatening flooding is either ongoing or is imminent.

Typically, only a few dozen such alerts are issued nationwide each year, highlighting the gravity of Tuesday’s situation in the heart of Kansas.

More than 500,000 people were under various flood warnings as the thunderstorms marched eastward across the state.

The full extent of impacts from the heavy rainfall were still being assessed as of Tuesday evening, but fortunately, local authorities had not reported any missing people connected to the wet weather event.