25 years ago on this day (1998) was the Halloween flood, when some parts of south-central Kansas ended up with a foot of rain.
There was major flooding in the west part of Wichita along the Cowskin Creek, where 14 businesses and 350 homes were damaged, and in Augusta in Butler County as well. The Cowskin Creek flooding caused $4 million in damages, placing neighborhoods under water along both Maize Road and 119th Street West.
The only death was a 50-year-old woman who drove into a flooded roadway in Harvey County, then she tried to wade through the floodwaters. Two people were injured in Sumner County, suffering from hypothermia.
5,300 people had to be evacuated, mostly in Augusta and Arkansas City because of failed or over-topping levees, and the flooding caused $38 million in damage. The combined flow of the Arkansas river and the Big Ditch in Wichita nearly reached the historic levels from the year 1904.
It was a large and intense fall storm as it slowly rolled over the eastern half of Kansas. It started raining late on Friday, October 30, then it rained for the entire day on Halloween on Saturday, quite heavily at times, and didn't stop until Sunday morning, over a 20-county area.
The Walnut, Cottonwood, Whitewater, and Arkansas rivers all experienced record flooding.
Brooks Middle School in Wichita, to the east of 27th Street North & Hillside, reported more than a foot of rain, and Valley Center West Elementary school recorded more than 12 inches as well. Cheney Middle School reported nearly 11 inches of rain.
The towns of Anthony, Sedgwick, and Elbing all received 10+ inches of rain.
In Augusta, the Whitewater River crested 12 hours earlier than expected, topping a 35-foot levee. In and around Augusta, 1,800 residents had to be evacuated; there were many in the Meadowview Acres neighborhood that did not take heed of the warnings and later had to be rescued by boat. The most significant damage occurred in and around Augusta where 565 homes, 230 mobile homes, and 100 businesses sustained damage.