Minnehaha County, South Dakota: hazard risk
FEMA rates Minnehaha County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 89.5 of 100, higher than 89% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, tornado, winter weather. Its storm record holds 1,554 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | 99.1 | $4.9M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 98.4 | $36M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 96.3 | $1.1M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 96.0 | $17M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 91.1 | $2.8M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 92.5 | $2.8M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 87.2 | $3.1M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 85.5 | $34M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 73.4 | $807K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 71.3 | $243K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 55.1 | $359K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 52.2 | $2K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 37.2 | $162K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 504 | 0 | $59M | 3rd of 66 | 232nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 380 | 5 | $9.7M | 3rd of 66 | 1296th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 230 | 0 | $68M | 3rd of 66 | 308th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 207 | 8 | $29M | 18th of 66 | 467th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 54 | 0 | $1.1M | 38th of 66 | 661st of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 48 | 0 | $39M | 5th of 66 | 776th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 42 | 0 | $9.7M | 21st of 66 | 904th of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 36 | 1 | – | 29th of 66 | 566th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 26 | 0 | – | 18th of 66 | 739th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 0 | – | 2nd of 66 | 1213th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $298K | 7th of 66 | 917th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 0 | $86K | 26th of 66 | 1072nd of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Minnehaha County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.