7 flood insurance claims·$252,857 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 Brule 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.
Over the past 30 years, 20 floods and 9 flash floods have occurred in Brule County, making river flooding and standard flood events the dominant flood character of the area. Heavy rainfall events drive significant local impacts. For example, a multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22, 2024, brought widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches with pockets exceeding 15 inches, leading to major to record flooding as rainfall reached area streams and rivers. Additionally, a frontal zone on September 12, 2019, produced widespread heavy rainfall that set two-day records for several locations, including 6.28 inches in White Lake.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed in Zone X and Zone X_UNSHADED. Specifically, Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $55,418 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $142,021 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners and real estate agents working in these zones should pay close attention to historical claim payouts and the potential for heavy rainfall to cause overland flooding and river overflow.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
The worst year was 2020, with 5 claims and $110,836 paid.
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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Brule County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2015 |
| Flooding | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 21, 2010 |
| Flooding | Mar 10, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $259,000 |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $140,000 |
| Flood | Sep 12, 2019 | $224,000 |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Aug 2, 2019 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2024. Clusters of thunderstorms with very high rainfall rates from 2 to 4 inches per hour developed by midday on June 20, and despite being transient, continued to redevelop through the evening and into the overnight hours. The primary focus occurred along Highway 18 in the afternoon southwest and south of Sioux Falls, then along Interstate 90 during the evening, and settled again to along the Highway 18 corridor as th…
Flood · Jun 20, 2024. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches with pockets in excess of 15 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in signi…
Flood · Mar 28, 2019. A historic flooding event unfolded as heavy rainfall with a late winter storm drenched the area on March 13-14, 2019. With 1 to 3 inches of snow water equivalent still in the snow pack south of Interstate 90 and 3 to 6 inches of snow water equivalent north of Interstate 90, gradually warming temperatures, and the frozen impervious ground, runoff into the controlled Missouri River resulted in crests late in the month.
Flood · May 24, 2019. A widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches between May 21 and May 27 led to significant rises on most rivers, worsening of flooding in existing flooded area, and expansion of flooding to more areas.
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 Brule 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.