Dodge City, Kansas had previously had an indoor football team in the Dodge City Law, which played through 2017 in Champions Indoor Football (CIF) before returning in 2021 as a replacement team for the Oklahoma Flying Aces, which had dropped out due to "unforseen workman's compensation insurance issues.

"[1] The Southwest Kansas Storm were announced as a CIF expansion team on September 30, 2021, with the United Wireless Arena being named their home venue.

[5] Venson continued as their head coach as the Storm went 3–7 and reached the playoffs as the sixth seed, losing in the first round to the Gillette Mustangs by a score of 40–35.

[7] On October 5, 2023, it was announced that the Storm would join the revived Arena Football League (AFL) for its 2024 season along with the remaining CIF teams.

They will play in the league's Central Division along with the Corpus Christi Tritons and Salina Liberty with the Wichita Regulators returning in 2026.