2 flood insurance claims·$0 paid·4 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 Haakon 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 heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Haakon County, which recorded 24 flood events and 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years according to NOAA data. Severe weather systems frequently produce high-volume rainfall across the region, such as a prolonged multi-day rain event in May 2023 that dropped three to five inches of rain and caused minor flooding along the Cheyenne and White River basins. Similarly, slow-moving thunderstorms in May 2020 dropped three to five inches of rain that resulted in flash flooding across portions of the county, and a June 2022 supercell storm brought heavy rain that caused additional flash flooding.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records indicate limited National Flood Insurance Program claim activity, with two claims recorded in unshaded Zone X showing an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners located near river basins, such as the Cheyenne and White Rivers, as well as those in areas vulnerable to sudden thunderstorm downpours, should pay the closest attention to local flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8 NOAA storm reports from Haakon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 11, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 24, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Oct 3, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Nov 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 24 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 12, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 22, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 19, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 12, 2023. A prolonged rain event over several days led to flooding and flash flooding over the Cheyenne and White River basins. Three to five inches of rain fell, with some locations receiving nearly four inches of rain within six hours on the evening of May 11. As the water flowed into larger rivers, minor flooding was observed.
Flood · Jun 12, 2022. A trailing supercell thunderstorm tracked across northeastern Wyoming and across the northern Black Hills and west central South Dakota. This storm brought large hail to the Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, and Sturgis areas, as well as portions of the southern Meade County plains into south central South Dakota. Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding across portions of northeastern Pennington and Haakon Counties.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2022. A trailing supercell thunderstorm tracked across northeastern Wyoming and across the northern Black Hills and west central South Dakota. This storm brought large hail to the Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, and Sturgis areas, as well as portions of the southern Meade County plains into south central South Dakota. Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding across portions of northeastern Pennington and Haakon Counties.
Flash Flood · May 23, 2020. A thunderstorm became severe in the Badlands area and tracked slowly north-northeast across parts of Jackson and Haakon Counties, eventually becoming a line of storms. The storms produced large hail and three to five inches of rain that caused flash flooding across portions of Haakon County.
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 Haakon 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.