5 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 Mellette 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.
Flood risk in Mellette County is dominated by standard floods and flash floods, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 11 flood events and 5 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Heavy rainfall and severe storms frequently drive these events. For example, training thunderstorms on June 20, 2024, dumped 2 to 5 inches of rain in under three hours, causing runoff that inundated several roads with water and debris. Similarly, on August 5, 2022, monsoonal moisture combined with training storms to drop 3 to 4 inches of rain across southern Mellette County and northern Todd County, washing gravel off rural roads, ponding water in fields, and causing the Little White River near Cut Meat Creek and Oak Creek to rise several feet within an hour. Prolonged multi-day precipitation systems, such as the cold, wet storm system from May 20 to 22, 2019, also generate significant runoff from rain and melting snow that floods creeks, rivers, low-lying areas, and roads.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties near rivers, creeks, and low-lying areas should pay the most attention to these recurring flood and flash flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3 NOAA storm reports from Mellette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 12, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 23, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Nov 5, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 28, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 20, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 18, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2024. Training thunderstorms dumped 2 to 5 inches of rain in less than 3 hours over portions of south-central South Dakota. Runoff from the heavy rain caused several roads to be inundated with water and debris.
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 2022. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms produced gusty winds across portions of Todd County. Monsoonal moisture, combined with training storms, resulted in flash flooding across southern Mellette and northern Todd Counties. Rainfall amounts of three to four inches were reported. Flash flooding quickly occurred as water ponded in fields. Heavy rain washed gravel off rural roads. The Little White River around the c…
Flood · May 27, 2019. Several days of heavy rain, along with major to record flooding the previous week, led to more flooding across portions of the western South Dakota plains and foothills of the Black Hills. The period of wet weather culminated with heavy rain and thunderstorms over the Rapid City area during the afternoon and evening of May 31, which led to widespread flooded roads.
Flood · May 22, 2019. A powerful storm system slowly moved from the Four Corners region northeastward through the Plains, leading to a prolonged period of precipitation across western South Dakota May 20-22. This three day period was among the coldest, wettest, and snowiest on record for late May, with several temperature and precipitation records set. Runoff from the rain and melting snow led to flooding of creeks, rivers, low-lying a…
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 Mellette 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.