South Dakota strong wind risk
Minnehaha County has the highest strong wind risk in South Dakota, scoring 91.1 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnehaha County | 91.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Oglala Lakota County | 89.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Brown County | 82.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Day County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Davison County | 64.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Codington County | 64.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Lawrence County | 62.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Brookings County | 62.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Roberts County | 57.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Yankton County | 57.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Lincoln County | 54.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Ziebach County | 52.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Butte County | 47.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Marshall County | 46.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 15 | Beadle County | 45.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Lake County | 44.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Moody County | 44.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Hutchinson County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Hamlin County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Jackson County | 43.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | Hanson County | 40.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Meade County | 36 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Corson County | 35.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Todd County | 35.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Clay County | 31.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | McPherson County | 31.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Charles Mix County | 30.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Pennington County | 30.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Buffalo County | 30.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Fall River County | 30.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Tripp County | 28.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Haakon County | 27.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | McCook County | 27.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Turner County | 26.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Union County | 26 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Brule County | 25.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Bon Homme County | 24.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Edmunds County | 24.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Hughes County | 23.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Dewey County | 23 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Douglas County | 22.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Grant County | 20.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Bennett County | 19.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 44 | Kingsbury County | 19.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 45 | Walworth County | 18.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 46 | Deuel County | 17.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Perkins County | 17.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Mellette County | 16.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Gregory County | 16.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Spink County | 16.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Aurora County | 16.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Lyman County | 16 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Custer County | 15.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Jones County | 13.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Jerauld County | 13.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Potter County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Sanborn County | 12.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Campbell County | 12.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Clark County | 12 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Miner County | 11.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Hand County | 10.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Faulk County | 9.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Stanley County | 9.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Hyde County | 9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Sully County | 8.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Harding County | 6.8 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Strong Wind risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in South Dakota:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest strong wind risk county in South Dakota?
Minnehaha County, SD has the highest strong wind risk in South Dakota, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 91.1 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes strong wind risk in South Dakota?
Strong wind risk covers non-convective, non-tropical sustained high winds — including derechos and general high-wind events, but excluding tornado and hurricane winds. High scores appear in mountain passes, coastal headlands, and open plains where topography amplifies wind speeds. Damage concentrates on utility infrastructure, trees, and lightweight structures.