38 flood insurance claims·$276,733 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 Lawrence 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Lawrence County, alongside standard riverine flooding, as recorded by 14 flash flood events and 13 flood events in the NOAA Storm Events Database over the last 30 years. Recent historical impacts include an August 2024 event when severe storms dropped two to five inches of rain in about three hours, causing flash flooding in Deadwood. Similarly, a June 2023 storm produced heavy rain and runoff that caused significant flooding in Spearfish and across northern Lawrence County, buckling asphalt, washing away road gravel, and damaging buildings.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in FEMA-designated Zone A face the highest risk, accounting for 24 claims with an average payout of $15,190 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. By comparison, properties in Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $3,370 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $10,506 and an average water depth of 60 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $2,428 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A, as well as those near low-lying areas subject to rapid runoff, should pay the most attention to flood risk in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Lawrence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 10 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 2008, with 12 claims and $204,541 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 30, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Oct 3, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornado, And Flooding | May 24, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | May 1, 2008 |
| Box Elder Fire | Jul 19, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
| Sd Wildfire Camp Five | Apr 17, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2019 | $297,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2019 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2024. A severe storm tracked out of northeast Wyoming and across the northern Black Hills area to the west central South Dakota plains during the evening hours. The storm produced large hail and heavy rain across the area. Flash flooding was noted in Deadwood later in the evening as two to five inches of rain fell in about three hours from several thunderstorms.
Flood · Jun 23, 2023. A strong thunderstorm produced hail to penny size in Saint Onge and heavy rain across the northern foothills area. Runoff from the heavy rain caused significant flooding in Spearfish and across other portions of northern Lawrence County. Asphalt buckled and gravel washed off numerous roads from the flooding and damaged buildings.
Flash Flood · Jun 23, 2023. A strong thunderstorm produced hail to penny size in Saint Onge and heavy rain across the northern foothills area. Runoff from the heavy rain caused significant flooding in Spearfish and across other portions of northern Lawrence County. Asphalt buckled and gravel washed off numerous roads from the flooding and damaged buildings.
Flood · Jul 5, 2019. A severe thunderstorm produced hail to quarter size in the Sturgis area. One to two inches of heavy rain over saturated ground caused flooding across parts of eastern Lawrence County into the Sturgis area.
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 Lawrence 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.