Enter any address in Hand County, South Dakota to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Hand County. Between 1996 and 2024, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 23 flash flood events and 19 flood events. Recent examples include widespread flooding across Hand County in June 2024 following heavy rainfall, and isolated flooding associated with severe thunderstorms in July 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone X_Unshaded have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $15,171 for a water depth of 1.6 feet. Properties in Zone A have seen fewer claims but with a higher average payout of $20,793 and a greater average water depth of 4.0 feet. Homeowners in Zone X have also filed claims, with an average payout of $1,355 and a water depth of 1.0 foot.
Residents in areas designated as Zone A, as well as those in Zone X_Unshaded, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
13 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Hand County, South Dakota has recorded 42 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 23 flash floods and 19 river or area floods. The county has received 25 federal disaster declarations, 10 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1969–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Flooding | Flood | Apr 9, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 21, 2010 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 10, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Jan 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 2, 2008 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | 191.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | 150.00K |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 26, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 2, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | 829.50K |
Flash Flood — Jun 20, 2024
Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall produced flooding across a broad swath of Lyman, Buffalo and Hand counties. In Lyman county, 7.46 inches was observed at a weather station 6 miles south southwest of Oacoma, while the South Dakota State University mesonet station near Oacoma recorded 5.51 inches. A CoCoRaHS observer 5 miles west southwest of Oacoma also observed 4.79 inches. In nearby Buffalo c...
Flash Flood — Jun 2, 2024
Low pressure crossing from west to east across the state provided the support for numerous, widespread severe thunderstorms. The main threat from these storms was large hail, with several reports of hail at or greater than golfball size. Emergency management for Brown county observed hail from golfball to baseball size 3 miles north northwest of Barnard, and hail to the size of baseballs was ob...
Flood — Apr 10, 2023
The snowfall during the season in northeast and central South Dakota exceeded normal levels, with many locations ranking among the top 10 for the snowiest seasons. Additionally, the late spring conditions were unusually cold, resulting in a persistent and exceptionally deep snowpack until early April. The depth of the snowpack ranged from 15 to 30 plus inches, containing approximately 4 to 8 in...
Flood — Jun 18, 2020
Very heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches brought widespread flooding to east central Hand County. Many roads were flooded with some roads washed out. Many acres of cropland were also flooded for a time.
Flood — Jul 5, 2020
Two rounds of severe thunderstorms developed across central and north central South Dakota along a weak surface low pressure trough. One round was in the early morning hours while the other round was in the late afternoon and evening. These storms brought large hail, severe winds, along with some isolated flooding and funnel clouds.
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 Hand 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 Hand 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.