Enter any address in Beadle County, South Dakota to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the dominant flood character in Beadle County. Recent examples include scattered thunderstorms producing locally heavy rainfall and flooding on June 10, 2023, and overnight heavy rainfall of 5 to 9 inches across northern areas on August 3, 2025. Additionally, rapid snowmelt contributed to flooding through the James River Basin in April 2023.
While flood events are frequent, NFIP claims data indicates that properties in Zone X, which typically have no base flood elevation requirements, have experienced the highest average payouts. Claims in Zone A and Zone Unknown also show significant average payouts, with Zone A claims reporting an average water depth of 2.4 feet. Homeowners in areas prone to heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, and those located in or near areas designated as Zone A or Zone X should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
15 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Beadle County, South Dakota has recorded 78 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 12 flash floods and 66 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 9 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1969–2022)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 12, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 19, 2013 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 21, 2010 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 10, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 4, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 6, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 9, 2022 | 0.00K |
Flood — Aug 22, 2025
A wet August resulted in minor river flooding along portions of the middle James River.
Flash Flood — Aug 21, 2025
Clusters of slow moving thunderstorms with embedded supercells developed within an environment of 40 kts of deep-layer shear and 2000 J/kg MLCAPE as a mid-level wave moved across the region. Isolated stronger storms had persistent enough updrafts to produce large hail, along with pockets of heavier rainfall of up to 5 to 7 inches in parts of Beadle County.
Flash Flood — Aug 3, 2025
Overnight and early morning heavy rainfall from 5 to 9 inches occurred across northern Beadle County, with reported amounts as high as 8.36 inches 13 miles northwest of Broadland, 6.12 inches at Hitchcock, and 5.70 inches 5 miles east of Hitchcock.
Flood — Apr 12, 2023
Rapid snowmelt from a few day period of well above normal temperatures focused on the 11-13th of April resulted in moderate to locally major flooding through much of the James River Basin. Some areas north of I-90 lost between 2 to 5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) from the first to second week of April, but antecedent drought conditions resulted in only a percentage of this water actuall...
Flash Flood — Jun 10, 2023
Abundant moisture, relatively weak air flow and a weak disturbance moving through the region produced scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of June 10. Water loaded storms produced locally heavy rainfall and some flooding. In addition, the developing phase of storms across southwest Minnesota resulted in very brief landspouts.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Beadle County, South Dakota:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Beadle County, South Dakota that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.