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South Dakota winter weather risk

66 counties scored 1 rated Very High

Brown County has the highest winter weather risk in South Dakota, scoring 98.2 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Brown County 98.2 Very High 0
2 Minnehaha County 96.3 Relatively High 0
3 Lincoln County 94.8 Relatively High 0
4 Pennington County 94.6 Relatively High 0
5 Meade County 93.2 Relatively High 0
6 Codington County 93.1 Relatively High 0
7 Brookings County 92.6 Relatively High 0
8 Yankton County 92.5 Relatively High 0
9 Lawrence County 89.4 Relatively High 0
10 Todd County 88.6 Relatively High 0
11 Roberts County 88 Relatively High 0
12 Davison County 87.5 Relatively High 0
13 Dewey County 85.3 Relatively High 0
14 Day County 85.1 Relatively Moderate 0
15 Charles Mix County 84.5 Relatively Moderate 0
16 Beadle County 83.6 Relatively Moderate 0
17 Lake County 82.7 Relatively Moderate 0
18 Walworth County 82.3 Relatively Moderate 0
19 McCook County 82 Relatively Moderate 0
20 Tripp County 80.8 Relatively Moderate 0
21 Marshall County 80 Relatively Moderate 0
22 Union County 77.5 Relatively Moderate 0
23 Moody County 77.3 Relatively Moderate 0
24 Corson County 77.1 Relatively Moderate 0
25 Hutchinson County 76.7 Relatively Moderate 0
26 McPherson County 76.5 Relatively Moderate 0
27 Edmunds County 74.5 Relatively Moderate 0
28 Brule County 72.1 Relatively Moderate 0
29 Clay County 72 Relatively Moderate 0
30 Turner County 72 Relatively Moderate 0
31 Fall River County 71.4 Relatively Moderate 0
32 Lyman County 69.5 Relatively Moderate 0
33 Hughes County 69.2 Relatively Moderate 0
34 Jackson County 69.1 Relatively Moderate 0
35 Butte County 68.8 Relatively Moderate 0
36 Oglala Lakota County 66 Relatively Moderate 0
37 Gregory County 65.3 Relatively Moderate 0
38 Spink County 63.3 Relatively Moderate 0
39 Ziebach County 63.3 Relatively Moderate 0
40 Custer County 60.2 Relatively Low 0
41 Mellette County 60.2 Relatively Low 0
42 Bon Homme County 59.8 Relatively Low 0
43 Grant County 59 Relatively Low 0
44 Hanson County 58.4 Relatively Low 0
45 Douglas County 57.5 Relatively Low 0
46 Bennett County 56.8 Relatively Low 0
47 Potter County 56.4 Relatively Low 0
48 Aurora County 54.5 Relatively Low 0
49 Faulk County 54.3 Relatively Low 0
50 Deuel County 53.8 Relatively Low 0
51 Perkins County 51.8 Relatively Low 0
52 Buffalo County 50.7 Relatively Low 0
53 Sully County 50.1 Relatively Low 0
54 Campbell County 49 Relatively Low 0
55 Hamlin County 48.9 Relatively Low 0
56 Stanley County 48.4 Relatively Low 0
57 Kingsbury County 48.2 Relatively Low 0
58 Haakon County 45.2 Relatively Low 0
59 Harding County 40.9 Relatively Low 0
60 Jerauld County 40.5 Relatively Low 0
61 Clark County 40.3 Relatively Low 0
62 Jones County 39.4 Relatively Low 0
63 Sanborn County 37.7 Relatively Low 0
64 Hand County 37.6 Relatively Low 0
65 Miner County 37.3 Relatively Low 0
66 Hyde County 28.7 Relatively 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.

Winter Weather risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in South Dakota:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeHeat WaveTornadoHurricaneHailStrong WindIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest winter weather risk county in South Dakota?

Brown County, SD has the highest winter weather risk in South Dakota, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.2 out of 100 (rated "Very High").

How many counties in South Dakota are rated Very High for winter weather risk?

1 of 66 scored South Dakota counties are rated "Very High" for winter weather risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.

What causes winter weather risk in South Dakota?

Winter weather risk captures expected losses from heavy snow, blizzards, and mixed precipitation. Highest scores appear in the Great Lakes snowbelt, northern Rockies, and interior Northeast, where lake-effect and orographic snowfall is frequent. Winter weather impacts transportation networks, utilities, agriculture, and population health.