425 flood insurance claims·$8.8M 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 Minnehaha 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.
Minnehaha County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by river floods and severe summer flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, the region has recorded 162 flood events and 67 flash flood events. Recent severe weather demonstrates this threat, such as the July 23 and September 16 events in 2025, when slow-moving thunderstorms dropped torrential rainfall of 1 to 5 inches within one to two hours, causing significant flash flooding across neighborhoods in Sioux Falls.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones, with distinct payout and water depth patterns. Properties in Zone A account for the highest claim volume with 257 claims averaging a $20,777 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 72 claims with the highest average payout at $64,406 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 61 claims with an average payout of $20,123 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 29 claims averaging an $11,125 payout with an average water depth of 7 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists working with properties in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to these flood risks, as these zones account for the vast majority of historical insurance claims and higher average damage payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Minnehaha County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
347 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 5 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 2010, with 94 claims and $610,003 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.
95 NOAA storm reports from Minnehaha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Dakota flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 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 Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Mar 13, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 13, 2014 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Apr 8, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 21, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 6, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
229 since 1996: 67 flash floods and 162 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $939,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2025. A cluster of thunderstorms erupted within a very moist and unstable airmass ahead of a slow moving frontal boundary during the evening of July 23. These thunderstorms bisected the city of Sioux Falls from southwest to northeast with neighborhoods southeast of I-229 reporting 2 to 5 inches of rain in a matter of 1-2 hours. This resulted in significant flash flooding across impacted portions of the city. Later in th…
Flash Flood · Sep 16, 2025. A nearly stationary thunderstorm developed and dissipated over southwestern Sioux Falls along a converging set of outflow boundaries from earlier thunderstorm activity. With less than 10 knots of deep-layer shear and an extensive warm-cloud depth, torrential rainfall occurred with 1 to 2 inches in less than an hour. Brief large hail also occurred at the onset of heavy rain.
Flood · Jun 22, 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 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…
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 Minnehaha 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.