143 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·8 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Brookings County, South Dakota. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Brookings County experiences flooding primarily driven by standard river floods rather than flash floods, based on 101 recorded flood events compared to 28 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall on saturated soils consistently impacts the area, as demonstrated in June 2025 and July 2025 when heavy rains caused downstream river gauges within the upper and middle Big Sioux River Basin to rise into minor and locally moderate flood stages. Elevated river levels along the upper and middle Big Sioux River Basin also continued into September 2025 following heavy rain events that pushed isolated stretches of the river into minor flood stage.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners should pay attention regardless of formal zone designations. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 67 claims averaging a payout of $9,465 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. However, properties in Zone X_UNSHADED also face financial risk, recording 16 claims with the highest average payout of $19,315 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X recorded 39 claims with an average payout of $12,466 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 16 claims with an average payout of $5,162 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone D recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $20,582 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Brookings County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
84 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1997, with 43 claims and $363,068 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms and Blizzard Conditions and Severe Flooding, Sever Winter Storms,heavy Rains High Winds.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
37 NOAA storm reports from Brookings County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 12, 2022 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 12, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Flooding | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
129 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 101 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 28, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 30, 2025. A period of heavy rain across northeast South Dakota resulted in downstream river gauges within the upper and middle Big Sioux River Basin to rise into Minor and locally Moderate flood stage.
Flood · Jun 29, 2025. A period of heavy rain across northeast South Dakota resulted in downstream river gauges within the upper and middle Big Sioux River Basin to rise into Minor and locally Moderate flood stage.
Flood · Jul 29, 2025. A wet period at the end of the July resulted in saturated soils and increased runoff, allowing isolated river flooding along the upper Big Sioux River Basin. Minor to very localized moderate river flooding was observed.
Flood · Jul 28, 2025. A wet period at the end of the July resulted in saturated soils and increased runoff, allowing isolated river flooding along the upper Big Sioux River Basin. Minor to very localized moderate river flooding was observed.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Brookings County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.