11 flood insurance claims·$504,260 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 Charles Mix 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate Charles Mix County, with NOAA records detailing 51 flood events and 20 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a multi-day heavy rainfall event in June 2024 that brought widespread totals of 5 to 10 inches with localized amounts exceeding 15 inches, causing major river flooding, devastating communities, and producing extensive overland damage. Additional flash flood events, such as slow-moving thunderstorms in August 2024 and June 2020, have brought torrential rainfall and damaging winds to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that Zone X properties have experienced historical claims, averaging 5 inches of recorded water depth with average payouts of $72,037. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated near rivers, streams, and areas susceptible to overland flooding during heavy seasonal precipitation events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2019, with 4 claims and $104,330 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding and Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
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.
18 NOAA storm reports from Charles Mix County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
17 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 Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Flooding | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Flooding | Mar 10, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
71 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 51 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $3.0M |
| Flood | Jan 21, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jan 18, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2020 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Aug 31, 2019 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 25, 2024. The thermal cap diurnally weakened along a weak surface trough from north central Nebraska into central South Dakota by very late afternoon, which allowed an isolated strong to severe thunderstorm to develop. The storm tracked slowly eastward through the early evening. Very large hail occurred early in the life cycle, with a transition toward damaging wind and torrential rainfall as it shifted east of the Missouri…
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 · Jan 21, 2020. Ice action on the Missouri River below Fort Randall Dam produced some minor to moderate flooding.
Flood · Jan 18, 2020. Ice action on the Missouri River below Fort Randall Dam produced some minor to moderate flooding.
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 Charles Mix 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.