Strong Wind Risk in South Dakota
All South Dakota counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index strong wind score
Strong Wind risk — damaging straight-line winds outside of tornadoes and hurricanes — is rated for 66 of 66 South Dakota counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Minnehaha County carries the state's highest strong wind score at 91.1, with $3M in expected annual strong wind losses.
2 South Dakota counties are rated High or Very High for strong wind, and expected annual losses from strong wind total roughly $26M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Strong Wind
| # | County | Strong Wind Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnehaha County | High | 3.96 / yr | $3M | |
| 2 | Oglala Lakota County | High | 2.62 / yr | $1M | |
| 3 | Brown County | Medium | 2.61 / yr | $2M | |
| 4 | Day County | Medium | 2.91 / yr | $1M | |
| 5 | Davison County | Medium | 3.19 / yr | $900K | |
| 6 | Codington County | Medium | 2.94 / yr | $908K | |
| 7 | Lawrence County | Medium | 2.60 / yr | $809K | |
| 8 | Brookings County | Medium | 3.50 / yr | $1M | |
| 9 | Roberts County | Medium | 2.68 / yr | $499K | |
| 10 | Yankton County | Medium | 3.68 / yr | $567K | |
| 11 | Lincoln County | Medium | 4.14 / yr | $1M | |
| 12 | Ziebach County | Medium | 2.47 / yr | $312K | |
| 13 | Butte County | Low | 2.45 / yr | $522K | |
| 14 | Marshall County | Low | 2.76 / yr | $509K | |
| 15 | Beadle County | Low | 3.00 / yr | $527K | |
| 16 | Lake County | Low | 3.63 / yr | $530K | |
| 17 | Moody County | Low | 3.67 / yr | $469K | |
| 18 | Hutchinson County | Low | 3.51 / yr | $578K | |
| 19 | Hamlin County | Low | 3.09 / yr | $683K | |
| 20 | Jackson County | Low | 2.85 / yr | $242K | |
| 21 | Hanson County | Low | 3.55 / yr | $303K | |
| 22 | Meade County | Low | 2.91 / yr | $488K | |
| 23 | Corson County | Low | 1.97 / yr | $213K | |
| 24 | Todd County | Low | 2.25 / yr | $191K | |
| 25 | Clay County | Low | 4.04 / yr | $488K | |
| 26 | McPherson County | Low | 2.30 / yr | $221K | |
| 27 | Charles Mix County | Low | 2.63 / yr | $252K | |
| 28 | Pennington County | Low | 2.92 / yr | $306K | |
| 29 | Buffalo County | Low | 2.76 / yr | $220K | |
| 30 | Fall River County | Low | 1.91 / yr | $197K | |
| 31 | Tripp County | Low | 2.36 / yr | $200K | |
| 32 | Haakon County | Low | 2.84 / yr | $243K | |
| 33 | McCook County | Low | 3.80 / yr | $412K | |
| 34 | Turner County | Low | 3.99 / yr | $333K | |
| 35 | Union County | Low | 4.09 / yr | $346K | |
| 36 | Brule County | Low | 2.70 / yr | $226K | |
| 37 | Bon Homme County | Low | 3.04 / yr | $338K | |
| 38 | Edmunds County | Low | 2.50 / yr | $320K | |
| 39 | Hughes County | Low | 2.59 / yr | $336K | |
| 40 | Dewey County | Low | 2.32 / yr | $119K | |
| 41 | Douglas County | Low | 3.02 / yr | $249K | |
| 42 | Grant County | Low | 2.75 / yr | $281K | |
| 43 | Bennett County | Low | 2.36 / yr | $99K | |
| 44 | Kingsbury County | Low | 3.36 / yr | $273K | |
| 45 | Walworth County | Low | 2.18 / yr | $134K | |
| 46 | Deuel County | Low | 3.02 / yr | $226K | |
| 47 | Perkins County | Low | 2.14 / yr | $202K | |
| 48 | Mellette County | Low | 2.66 / yr | $88K | |
| 49 | Gregory County | Very Low | 2.25 / yr | $169K | |
| 50 | Spink County | Very Low | 2.92 / yr | $200K | |
| 51 | Aurora County | Very Low | 2.90 / yr | $156K | |
| 52 | Lyman County | Very Low | 2.76 / yr | $91K | |
| 53 | Custer County | Very Low | 2.52 / yr | $185K | |
| 54 | Jones County | Very Low | 2.79 / yr | $154K | |
| 55 | Jerauld County | Very Low | 2.89 / yr | $98K | |
| 56 | Potter County | Very Low | 2.43 / yr | $117K | |
| 57 | Sanborn County | Very Low | 3.16 / yr | $147K | |
| 58 | Campbell County | Very Low | 2.02 / yr | $142K | |
| 59 | Clark County | Very Low | 3.09 / yr | $133K | |
| 60 | Miner County | Very Low | 3.57 / yr | $157K | |
| 61 | Hand County | Very Low | 2.74 / yr | $101K | |
| 62 | Faulk County | Very Low | 2.68 / yr | $45K | |
| 63 | Stanley County | Very Low | 2.66 / yr | $93K | |
| 64 | Hyde County | Very Low | 2.72 / yr | $49K | |
| 65 | Sully County | Very Low | 2.49 / yr | $97K | |
| 66 | Harding County | Very Low | 1.79 / yr | $64K |
66 South Dakota counties with measurable strong wind risk. See the national strong wind ranking or all South Dakota counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which South Dakota county has the highest strong wind risk?
Minnehaha County has the highest FEMA strong wind risk score in South Dakota at 91.1 (High), with $3M in expected annual losses and about 3.96 events per year.
How many South Dakota counties face significant strong wind risk?
66 South Dakota counties record measurable strong wind risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 2 of them are rated High or Very High.