10 flood insurance claims·$166,928 paid·13 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 Hanson 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 dominates the recorded flood history in Hanson County, accounting for 63 out of 67 total events over the last 30 years alongside 4 flash flood events. Significant multi-day heavy rainfall events in June 2024 produced widespread rainfall totals between 5 and 10 inches, with some areas exceeding 15 inches, resulting in major to record river flooding and extensive overland impacts that persisted into July. Additionally, rapid snowmelt driven by above-normal temperatures in April 2023 caused moderate to locally major flooding throughout the James River Basin.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims across different zones. Properties located in Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $7,989 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties in Zone A recorded 2 claims with a substantially higher average payout of $55,504 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties near rivers and streams, as well as those situated within designated flood zones where higher-severity payouts occur.
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 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 2019, with 7 claims and $136,449 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding, Severe Storms 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Hanson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 12, 2022 |
| 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, And Flooding | Jun 13, 2014 |
| Flooding | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Flooding | Mar 10, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
67 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 63 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $251,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 30, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 21, 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 · 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 · Jul 1, 2024. River levels from the historic June flooding remained above flood stage for some locations into July, although continued a declining trend.
Flood · Apr 18, 2023. Rapid snowmelt from a few day period of well above normal temperatures focused on the 11-13th of April resulted in moderate to locally major flooding through much of the James River Basin. Some areas north of I-90 lost between 2 to 5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) from the first to second week of April, but antecedent drought conditions resulted in only a percentage of this water actually making it into the…
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 Hanson 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.