Fall River County, SD Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 929 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $6.8M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 929
- Most often hail
- Flood insurance policies
- 8
- 0.2% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 30.9 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very High
Score 92.2 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 74.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $2.5B · Agriculture value exposed: $112M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $10.5M
Risk by hazard
- WildfireRelatively Moderate$1.7M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 159 years
- Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$91.9K/yr expected annual loss, about 13 events a year
- HailRelatively Low$257K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.3 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$1,653/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- LightningRelatively Low$125K/yr expected annual loss, about 44 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$480K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.3 events a year
- EarthquakeVery Low$75.4K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,410 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$197K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
- TornadoRelatively Low$336K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- DroughtVery Low$13.1K/yr expected annual loss, about 74 events a year
- Heat waveVery Low$20.1K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- Ice stormVery Low$4,804/yr expected annual loss, about once every 67 years
- AvalancheVery Low$1/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 8 of 4,954 (0.2%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 148
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 7 (5%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 1
- Claims paid since 1978
- $25
Storm history
Since 1996: 929 events, 1 death, $6.5M in damage
- Hail334
- Thunderstorm Wind229 · 1 death
- Winter Storm108
- Winter Weather76
- High Wind75
- Heavy Snow20
- Blizzard18
- Flash Flood16
- Tornado12
- Flood12
Events per year
30 tornadoes on record (EF0 2, EF2 1, F0 14, F1 5, F2 4).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Thunderstorm Wind43 kt wind07/20/2009
Hot Springs, Fall River County
1 death
What happened
Wind gusts over Coldbrook Reservoir capsized a kayak, causing the occupant to drown.
- Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind07/29/2010
Hot Springs, Fall River County
$1.5M damage
What happened
Strong winds damaged fences, signs, and buildings in Hot Springs and blew down trees and power poles. Buildings and automobiles were damaged by fallen trees. A mobile home was lifted off the ground and destroyed. A large portion of Hot Springs lost power for several hours.
- TornadoF1, 0.3 mi path, 66 yd wide06/24/1998
Hot Spgs, Fall River County
1 injured, $166K damage
What happened
A roof was blown off a house, and two campers and a boat trailer were damaged. A mobile home was also destroyed with a young man on the porch of the house thrown.
- TornadoF1, 0.1 mi path, 0 yd wide07/01/1998
Hot Spgs, Fall River County
1 injured, $150K damage
What happened
HOUSE DESTROYED ON PROPERTY OF EMERGENCY MANAGER; NEARBY HOUSES AND OTHER STRUCTURES HAD ROOF DAMAGE.
- Hail2" hail06/20/2010
Hot Springs, Fall River County
$1M damage
What happened
Two inch diameter hail caused extensive damage to automobiles and some buildings in Hot Springs.
- Hail1.75" hail06/18/2014
Hot Springs, Fall River County
$500K damage
What happened
Golf ball size hail was accompanied by 50 mph wind gusts and heavy rain.
Drinking water
11 community water systems serve about 6,933 people. Violations since 2021.
3 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 2 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Hot SpringsServes 3,395 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Fall River WudServes 1,057 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Southern Black Hills WaterServes 947 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- EdgemontServes 725 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Hot Springs VA CenterServes 445 · Groundwater · FederalNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- OelrichsServes 117 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Country Club EstatesServes 83 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- Liberty Hills CommunityServes 68 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Fall River County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Fall River County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk8 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Fall River County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Fall River County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $6.8M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate), hail (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Fall River County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 929 storm events affecting Fall River County, most often hail (334), thunderstorm wind (229), winter storm (108).
- How many tornadoes have hit Fall River County?
- 30 tornadoes have been recorded in Fall River County since 1950.
- How many homes in Fall River County have flood insurance?
- 8 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Fall River County, covering about 0.2% of homes. The program has paid $25 on 1 claim here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Fall River County?
- At Hot Springs, average highs reach 89°F in Jul and lows fall to 14°F in Jan, with 18.6 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.