Kansas cold wave risk
Sedgwick County has the highest cold wave risk in Kansas, scoring 99.3 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sedgwick County | 99.3 | Very High |
| 2 | Johnson County | 98 | Relatively High |
| 3 | Wyandotte County | 95.4 | Relatively High |
| 4 | Pratt County | 90.5 | Relatively High |
| 5 | Montgomery County | 88.2 | Relatively Moderate |
| 6 | Cowley County | 86 | Relatively Moderate |
| 7 | Barber County | 84.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 8 | Shawnee County | 81 | Relatively Moderate |
| 9 | Reno County | 80.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 10 | Leavenworth County | 77 | Relatively Moderate |
| 11 | Butler County | 74.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 12 | Kingman County | 74 | Relatively Moderate |
| 13 | Finney County | 73.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 14 | Labette County | 73 | Relatively Moderate |
| 15 | Saline County | 72.3 | Relatively Moderate |
| 16 | Harper County | 70.6 | Relatively Moderate |
| 17 | Douglas County | 70.5 | Relatively Moderate |
| 18 | Scott County | 69.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 19 | Barton County | 66.8 | Relatively Moderate |
| 20 | Pawnee County | 66.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 21 | Sumner County | 66.7 | Relatively Moderate |
| 22 | Ford County | 63.8 | Relatively Low |
| 23 | Cherokee County | 63.4 | Relatively Low |
| 24 | Gray County | 62.7 | Relatively Low |
| 25 | Stafford County | 62 | Relatively Low |
| 26 | Crawford County | 59.6 | Relatively Low |
| 27 | Seward County | 59 | Relatively Low |
| 28 | McPherson County | 58.4 | Relatively Low |
| 29 | Kiowa County | 58.1 | Relatively Low |
| 30 | Rice County | 58 | Relatively Low |
| 31 | Edwards County | 55.7 | Relatively Low |
| 32 | Miami County | 55.6 | Relatively Low |
| 33 | Ellis County | 54.7 | Relatively Low |
| 34 | Comanche County | 53.5 | Relatively Low |
| 35 | Lyon County | 52 | Relatively Low |
| 36 | Haskell County | 50 | Relatively Low |
| 37 | Harvey County | 48.6 | Relatively Low |
| 38 | Bourbon County | 46.6 | Relatively Low |
| 39 | Neosho County | 46.1 | Relatively Low |
| 40 | Franklin County | 46 | Relatively Low |
| 41 | Grant County | 41.5 | Relatively Low |
| 42 | Stevens County | 40.7 | Relatively Low |
| 43 | Coffey County | 39.9 | Relatively Low |
| 44 | Anderson County | 39.5 | Relatively Low |
| 45 | Wichita County | 39.1 | Relatively Low |
| 46 | Pottawatomie County | 38.5 | Relatively Low |
| 47 | Osage County | 38.4 | Relatively Low |
| 48 | Wilson County | 36.8 | Relatively Low |
| 49 | Ellsworth County | 35.8 | Relatively Low |
| 50 | Cheyenne County | 35.5 | Relatively Low |
| 51 | Russell County | 34.9 | Relatively Low |
| 52 | Sherman County | 33.7 | Relatively Low |
| 53 | Doniphan County | 33.3 | Relatively Low |
| 54 | Clark County | 32 | Relatively Low |
| 55 | Allen County | 30.9 | Relatively Low |
| 56 | Ness County | 30 | Relatively Low |
| 57 | Meade County | 29.9 | Relatively Low |
| 58 | Marion County | 29.6 | Relatively Low |
| 59 | Greenwood County | 28.5 | Relatively Low |
| 60 | Hodgeman County | 27.2 | Relatively Low |
| 61 | Rush County | 27 | Relatively Low |
| 62 | Chautauqua County | 26.7 | Relatively Low |
| 63 | Woodson County | 26.6 | Relatively Low |
| 64 | Norton County | 26.3 | Relatively Low |
| 65 | Jefferson County | 26.1 | Relatively Low |
| 66 | Dickinson County | 25.8 | Relatively Low |
| 67 | Jackson County | 25.7 | Relatively Low |
| 68 | Kearny County | 25.7 | Relatively Low |
| 69 | Cloud County | 25.6 | Relatively Low |
| 70 | Thomas County | 25.4 | Relatively Low |
| 71 | Hamilton County | 24.6 | Relatively Low |
| 72 | Logan County | 24.5 | Relatively Low |
| 73 | Linn County | 24 | Relatively Low |
| 74 | Atchison County | 23.9 | Very Low |
| 75 | Phillips County | 23 | Very Low |
| 76 | Morris County | 22.6 | Very Low |
| 77 | Elk County | 22.5 | Very Low |
| 78 | Mitchell County | 22.1 | Very Low |
| 79 | Greeley County | 21.2 | Very Low |
| 80 | Brown County | 20.9 | Very Low |
| 81 | Rooks County | 18.8 | Very Low |
| 82 | Washington County | 18.8 | Very Low |
| 83 | Osborne County | 18.3 | Very Low |
| 84 | Wallace County | 17.8 | Very Low |
| 85 | Republic County | 17.1 | Very Low |
| 86 | Lane County | 16.9 | Very Low |
| 87 | Trego County | 16.3 | Very Low |
| 88 | Stanton County | 16.2 | Very Low |
| 89 | Decatur County | 16 | Very Low |
| 90 | Gove County | 15.5 | Very Low |
| 91 | Smith County | 15.4 | Very Low |
| 92 | Graham County | 15 | Very Low |
| 93 | Jewell County | 14.4 | Very Low |
| 94 | Morton County | 14.1 | Very Low |
| 95 | Riley County | 13.2 | Very Low |
| 96 | Nemaha County | 12.8 | Very Low |
| 97 | Rawlins County | 12.6 | Very Low |
| 98 | Sheridan County | 12.5 | Very Low |
| 99 | Chase County | 10.6 | Very Low |
| 100 | Lincoln County | 10 | Very Low |
| 101 | Geary County | 9.3 | Very Low |
| 102 | Clay County | 7.3 | Very Low |
| 103 | Wabaunsee County | 6.5 | Very Low |
| 104 | Ottawa County | 6.4 | Very Low |
| 105 | Marshall County | 5.9 | Very Low |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Cold Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Kansas:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest cold wave risk county in Kansas?
Sedgwick County, KS has the highest cold wave risk in Kansas, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.3 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Kansas are rated Very High for cold wave risk?
1 of 105 scored Kansas counties are rated "Very High" for cold wave risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes cold wave risk in Kansas?
Cold wave risk captures expected losses from extended periods of extreme cold, including wind chill. The northern Plains, Great Lakes, and interior New England see the most severe and frequent cold events. Cold extremes cause significant excess mortality, especially among unhoused populations, the elderly, and those with inadequate heating or insulation. Cold and wind chill events are reported at forecast-zone level in NOAA Storm Events and are not included in county-level counts.