Enter any address in Hanson County, South Dakota to see its FEMA flood zone
River overflow along the James River Basin is the dominant flood character in Hanson County, South Dakota. Between 1994 and 2024, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 63 flood events and 4 flash flood events. Recent significant flooding occurred in June 2024, following a multi-day rainfall event that produced 5 to over 15 inches of rain, leading to major to record river flooding and extensive overland flooding. Earlier, in April 2023, rapid snowmelt contributed to moderate to major flooding along the James River Basin.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced higher average payouts ($55,504) and water depths (0.5 ft) compared to Zone X properties ($4,867 payout, -0.3 ft water depth). Homeowners in Zone A, and those residing near riverine floodplains, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
14 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Hanson County, South Dakota has recorded 67 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 4 flash floods and 63 river or area floods. The county has received 25 federal disaster declarations, 13 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 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 12, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 13, 2014 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 10, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | 251.00K |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 30, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | 0.00K |
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 al...
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 al...
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 actuall...
Flood — May 1, 2023
Snowmelt flooding from April continued into May along the very slowly draining James River in South Dakota. While flood levels decreased from their crest in April, minor to moderate flooding persisted, only slowly falling through May. This flooding mainly impacted agricultural land.
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 Hanson 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 Hanson 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.