88 flood insurance claims·$695,172 paid·6 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 Hughes 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.
General flooding driven by seasonal snowmelt and heavy rains dominates Hughes County, supplemented by frequent flash flooding from summer thunderstorms. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 22 general flood events and 13 flash flood events. Significant impacts occurred in March 2019 when above-normal winter snowfall, meltwater, ice jams, and heavy rains caused rivers and creeks to flood fields, roads, and structures. Flooding persisted through spring, culminating in June 2019 when continued snowmelt and above-normal rainfall left hundreds of thousands of acres of crops damaged or unplanted.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 45 claims with an average payout of $10,038 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X accounts for 36 claims with an average payout of $14,660 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches, while Zone X unshaded accounts for 7 claims with an average payout of $5,250 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as these areas have experienced the highest concentration of historical insurance claims and recorded water depths from both riverine flooding and heavy precipitation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Hughes County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
52 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 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 2011, with 45 claims and $479,205 paid, the year of 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Hughes County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 19, 2013 |
| Flooding | Mar 11, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
| Severe Flooding, Sever Winter Storms,heavy Rains High Winds | Feb 3, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 31, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 20, 2024. A slow moving storm and heavy downpour resulted in urban flooding within the city of Pierre. The COOP observer in town recorded 2.84 inches of rain, while the ASOS at the Airport recorded 1.68 inches during a 2 hour span. Pooling of water resulted in both streets and sidewalks under water in portions of the city.
Flood · Jul 29, 2020. Heavy rain brought some road flooding in Pierre for several hours.
Flood · May 31, 2019. Thunderstorms brought some isolated large hail along with some flooding to parts of central and northeast South Dakota during the evening hours.
Flood · Mar 27, 2019. Much above normal winter snowfall and melt water/ice jams along with heavy rains in the middle of March brought flooding across parts of central and northeast South Dakota for late March. Rivers and creeks flooded across much of the area along with many fields and roads. The flooding damaged many of the roads and culverts across the region. Some structures were also flooded. Lake levels also rose threatening homes…
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 Hughes 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.