Lightning Risk in South Dakota
All South Dakota counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index lightning score
Lightning risk — electrical discharges from storms that ignite fires and cause casualties — is rated for 66 of 66 South Dakota counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Pennington County carries the state's highest lightning score at 91.2, with $1M in expected annual lightning losses.
2 South Dakota counties are rated High or Very High for lightning, and expected annual losses from lightning total roughly $6M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Lightning
| # | County | Lightning Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennington County | High | 39.90 / yr | $1M | |
| 2 | Oglala Lakota County | High | 38.75 / yr | $545K | |
| 3 | Yankton County | Medium | 38.61 / yr | $564K | |
| 4 | Lawrence County | Medium | 42.15 / yr | $563K | |
| 5 | Minnehaha County | Low | 37.73 / yr | $359K | |
| 6 | Todd County | Low | 38.27 / yr | $112K | |
| 7 | Meade County | Low | 36.22 / yr | $283K | |
| 8 | Fall River County | Low | 43.64 / yr | $125K | |
| 9 | Clay County | Low | 39.35 / yr | $218K | |
| 10 | Union County | Low | 39.68 / yr | $164K | |
| 11 | Butte County | Low | 36.46 / yr | $106K | |
| 12 | Charles Mix County | Low | 37.29 / yr | $88K | |
| 13 | Davison County | Low | 36.13 / yr | $112K | |
| 14 | Bennett County | Low | 38.28 / yr | $51K | |
| 15 | Custer County | Low | 45.32 / yr | $123K | |
| 16 | Lincoln County | Low | 38.57 / yr | $154K | |
| 17 | Jackson County | Very Low | 37.03 / yr | $38K | |
| 18 | Tripp County | Very Low | 37.48 / yr | $48K | |
| 19 | Hughes County | Very Low | 33.88 / yr | $98K | |
| 20 | Dewey County | Very Low | 32.69 / yr | $31K | |
| 21 | Corson County | Very Low | 32.24 / yr | $30K | |
| 22 | Hutchinson County | Very Low | 37.32 / yr | $59K | |
| 23 | Bon Homme County | Very Low | 38.57 / yr | $67K | |
| 24 | Beadle County | Very Low | 34.51 / yr | $43K | |
| 25 | Mellette County | Very Low | 37.19 / yr | $22K | |
| 26 | Walworth County | Very Low | 31.71 / yr | $31K | |
| 27 | Brule County | Very Low | 36.48 / yr | $34K | |
| 28 | Lyman County | Very Low | 35.73 / yr | $24K | |
| 29 | Gregory County | Very Low | 37.06 / yr | $40K | |
| 30 | Hanson County | Very Low | 36.52 / yr | $23K | |
| 31 | Roberts County | Very Low | 32.82 / yr | $21K | |
| 32 | Ziebach County | Very Low | 33.24 / yr | $15K | |
| 33 | Spink County | Very Low | 33.36 / yr | $38K | |
| 34 | Codington County | Very Low | 33.30 / yr | $27K | |
| 35 | Lake County | Very Low | 36.11 / yr | $27K | |
| 36 | Brown County | Very Low | 31.78 / yr | $27K | |
| 37 | Brookings County | Very Low | 35.29 / yr | $32K | |
| 38 | Douglas County | Very Low | 36.47 / yr | $22K | |
| 39 | Faulk County | Very Low | 32.30 / yr | $12K | |
| 40 | McCook County | Very Low | 36.83 / yr | $26K | |
| 41 | Perkins County | Very Low | 33.17 / yr | $23K | |
| 42 | Turner County | Very Low | 38.05 / yr | $21K | |
| 43 | Haakon County | Very Low | 34.32 / yr | $15K | |
| 44 | Edmunds County | Very Low | 31.59 / yr | $23K | |
| 45 | Moody County | Very Low | 36.69 / yr | $15K | |
| 46 | Buffalo County | Very Low | 35.77 / yr | $10K | |
| 47 | Potter County | Very Low | 31.58 / yr | $15K | |
| 48 | Stanley County | Very Low | 33.90 / yr | $17K | |
| 49 | Day County | Very Low | 32.54 / yr | $8K | |
| 50 | Kingsbury County | Very Low | 34.73 / yr | $16K | |
| 51 | Jerauld County | Very Low | 35.43 / yr | $9K | |
| 52 | Grant County | Very Low | 33.46 / yr | $14K | |
| 53 | Aurora County | Very Low | 36.26 / yr | $9K | |
| 54 | Marshall County | Very Low | 31.69 / yr | $8K | |
| 55 | Campbell County | Very Low | 32.15 / yr | $11K | |
| 56 | Jones County | Very Low | 35.77 / yr | $10K | |
| 57 | Hamlin County | Very Low | 33.83 / yr | $10K | |
| 58 | Harding County | Very Low | 34.51 / yr | $10K | |
| 59 | Sully County | Very Low | 32.37 / yr | $10K | |
| 60 | Sanborn County | Very Low | 35.83 / yr | $7K | |
| 61 | Deuel County | Very Low | 34.18 / yr | $7K | |
| 62 | Miner County | Very Low | 36.02 / yr | $8K | |
| 63 | McPherson County | Very Low | 31.27 / yr | $3K | |
| 64 | Hand County | Very Low | 34.18 / yr | $3K | |
| 65 | Hyde County | Very Low | 33.67 / yr | $2K | |
| 66 | Clark County | Very Low | 33.58 / yr | $3K |
66 South Dakota counties with measurable lightning risk. See the national lightning ranking or all South Dakota counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which South Dakota county has the highest lightning risk?
Pennington County has the highest FEMA lightning risk score in South Dakota at 91.2 (High), with $1M in expected annual losses and about 39.90 events per year.
How many South Dakota counties face significant lightning risk?
66 South Dakota counties record measurable lightning risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 2 of them are rated High or Very High.