States › South Dakota › Pennington County
Pennington County, South Dakota
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 2,429 storm events in Pennington County, South Dakota, led by hail.
That is 87.5 events per 100 square miles, in line with the South Dakota figure of 73.7, and 217.3 per 10,000 residents against 624.1 statewide.
67 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 45 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $81M and crop damage at $510K.
FEMA has designated the county in 21 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Straight-Line Winds (major disaster, 7 Apr 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 135 claims since 1978, of which 70 were paid, totalling $556K (about $8K per paid claim). FEMA counts 253 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($41M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with South Dakota and the United States
| Measure | Pennington County | South Dakota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 2,429 | 55,877 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 87.5 | 73.7 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 217.3 | 624.1 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 67 | 2,303 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 2 | 147 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $81M | $1.1B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 4.5 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $8K | $21K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 8.7 | 30.7 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 1,655 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 554 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2001 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | County |
| 3 Aug 2011 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 20 Jul 1996 | Hail | Hail | 2.00 in | $150K | — | — | 15 | County |
| 23 Jul 1966 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 13 Jun 1996 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $1K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 18 Jun 1967 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 3 | County |
| 1 Aug 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $250K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 14 Jun 1962 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 11 Jul 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 30 Aug 2013 | Hail | Hail | 2.25 in | $12M | — | — | — | County |
| 6 May 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 9 Aug 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 71 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 8 Jul 1998 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 8 Jul 2003 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 30 Aug 2013 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $10M | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Aug 2013 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $10M | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2016 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 8 Aug 2016 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 12 Aug 2016 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 16 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2026 | DR-4903 | Major disaster | Straight-Line Winds | Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 4 Oct 2021 | FM-5418 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Auburn Fire | Public assistance |
| 29 Mar 2021 | FM-5384 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Schroeder Fire | Public assistance |
| 5 Apr 2020 | DR-4527 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3475 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 23 Sep 2019 | DR-4463 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 7 Jun 2019 | DR-4440 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 1 Feb 2017 | DR-4298 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 8 Nov 2013 | DR-4155 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2005 | EM-3234 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 16 Jul 2005 | FM-2569 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sd Skyline #2 Fire 7/16/05 | Public assistance |
| 20 Nov 2003 | FM-2513 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sd - Mill Road Wildfire - 11/19/2003 | Public assistance |
| 18 Aug 2002 | FM-2458 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sd - Battle Creek Fire - 08/18/02 | Public assistance |
| 19 May 2000 | DR-1330 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 7 Apr 1997 | DR-1173 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Flooding, Sever Winter Storms,Heavy Rains High Winds | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 28 Feb 1997 | DR-1161 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 10 Jan 1997 | DR-1156 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Blizzard Conditions | Public assistance |
| 26 May 1995 | DR-1052 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 17 Jun 1976 | EM-3015 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
| 10 Jun 1972 | DR-336 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 May 1965 | DR-197 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | $52,038 | $52,038 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2019 | 14 | 10 | $128,304 | $12,830 |
| 2018 | 5 | 3 | $53,642 | $17,881 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2015 | 16 | 6 | $89,936 | $14,989 |
| 2013 | 3 | 1 | $8,884 | $8,884 |
| 2011 | 7 | 4 | $22,878 | $5,719 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | $23,705 | $5,926 |
| 2008 | 9 | 6 | $71,967 | $11,995 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | $11,711 | $11,711 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1998 | 2 | 1 | $5,282 | $5,282 |
| 1997 | 18 | 12 | $43,289 | $3,607 |
| 1996 | 12 | 6 | $9,296 | $1,549 |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1991 | 1 | 1 | $2,348 | $2,348 |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1986 | 3 | 2 | $8,046 | $4,023 |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1982 | 14 | 8 | $21,617 | $2,702 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $17,105,707 | |
| Wildfire | $8,266,556 | |
| Cold wave | $5,396,501 | |
| Hail | $4,258,476 | |
| Tornado | $1,901,941 | |
| Lightning | $1,321,004 | |
| Winter weather | $657,426 | |
| Heat wave | $587,614 | |
| Ice storm | $524,819 | |
| Earthquake | $406,270 | |
| Strong wind | $306,367 | |
| Landslide | $30,117 | |
| Drought | $14,352 | |
| Avalanche | $3 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Pennington County, SD?
NCEI records 1,626 hail events in Pennington County since 1950, in 67 different years; that is about 21.1 recorded events a year. 446 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Pennington County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 49 tornadoes in Pennington County since 1950, 4 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Pennington County?
7 Apr 2026: Straight-Line Winds, a major disaster declaration for straight-line winds. The county appears in 21 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Pennington County, and how much was paid?
135 NFIP claims since 1978, 70 of them paid, for $556K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Pennington County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Pennington County compare with the rest of South Dakota?
87.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.7 statewide, and 1.2 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 4.5. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.