Hand County, SD Environment & Hazard Risk

• WildfireRelatively Low$398K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 525 years
• Cold waveRelatively Low$1.7M/yr expected annual loss, about 9.1 events a year
• DroughtRelatively Low$235K/yr expected annual loss, about 13 events a year
• HailRelatively Low$359K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.0 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively Low$52K/yr expected annual loss, about 18 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Low$55.1K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• TornadoVery Low$299K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• Heat waveVery Low$43.4K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.5 events a year
• Strong windVery Low$101K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.7 events a year
• EarthquakeVery Low$10.4K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2,710 years
• LandslideVery Low$7/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
• LightningVery Low$3,468/yr expected annual loss, about 34 events a year

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: avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

1 of 1,579 (0.1%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

0

Flood claims since 1978

8

Claims paid since 1978

$122K

• Hail287
• Thunderstorm Wind160
• High Wind62
• Blizzard41
• Extreme Cold/Wind Chill33
• Drought31
• Heavy Snow30
• Winter Storm27
• Flash Flood23
• Tornado22 · 1 death

• Flood06/01/2019

  Polo, Hand County

  $35.7M damage

  What happened

  Spring snowmelt and heavy rain flooding from March, April, and May continued into June. This combined with above normal June rainfall resulted in hundreds of thousands of acres of crops damaged or unplanted across central and northeast South Dakota. For the entire state of South Dakota, nearly 4 million acres of crops were left unplanted as a result of the flooding. Total damaged or unplanted crop loss estimates for central and northeast South Dakota were near 307 million dollars.

• Winter Weather01/27/2020

  Hand

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  Icy roads contributed to a fatal two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 14 three miles west of Wessington in Hand county. One person died and another was seriously injured. A pickup was westbound on U.S. Highway 14 when the driver lost control due to icy conditions and slid into and eastbound pickup.

• Winter Weather04/01/2025

  Hand

  1 death

  What happened

  A single vehicle crash resulted in a fatality 1 mile west of Wessington on highway 14 due to icy conditions on the morning of April 2nd. The vehicle left the road and landed in a ditch where it rolled. The COOP observer 2 miles southeast of Wessington recorded 3 inches of snow early on April 1st, which would see partial melting during the day as temperatures warmed into the mid 30s before falling below freezing overnight.

• TornadoEF2, 1.6 mi path, 300 yd wide08/31/2020

  Polo, Hand County

  1 death

  What happened

  The tornado initially touched down in the pasture land east of South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.8 miles south of 184th Street. It continued to track north for roughly 0.6 miles, damaging a tree grove and fence line. The track then turned west northwest and crossed South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.2 miles south of 184th street. A southbound RV pulling an enclosed trailer was struck. The trailer detached from the RV and the RV was lofted and rolled roughly 200 yards into a corn field on the west side of of South Dakota Highway 45. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The tornado track continued west northwest through the corn field for an estimated 0.4 miles. The tornado was at its peak width and intensity at this point. Corn was completely flattened in some areas with a distinct convergent pattern. As the tornado weakened and roped out the path took a southwest turn and persisted for roughly another 0.6 miles before coming to an end in the corn field.

• Flash Flood07/30/2010

  Danforth, Hand County

  2 injured, $150K damage

  What happened

  Very heavy rains of 5 to 10 inches caused the Rosehill Dam to break in the early morning hours in southeast Hand county. Flash flooding began around 1 am CDT with two campers being swept up around 130 am CDT. The two campers clung to a tree until they could be rescued around 6 am CDT. They were both injured with one camper being treated for hypothermia and other airlifted to Sioux Falls to be treated for broken ribs and head trauma. ||The dam broke at 330 am CDT with the spillway breaking at 420 am CDT. There was a 100 to 150 foot hole left by the dam break. The flash flooding continued downstream on Sand Creek causing damage to area farms, filling basements, and flooding many roads.

• Flood04/01/2019

  Polo, Hand County

  $830K damage

  What happened

  The continuation of snowmelt from a much above normal snowfall winter combined with a historic heavy snow/blizzard in mid-April resulted in widespread flooding across central and northeast South Dakota. Countless roads along with thousands of acres of cropland were flooded throughout April. Impacts include damaged roads, culverts, and bridges, and livestock, homes, and businesses were affected. Delayed planting resulted across all of the region as well. Cattle and calves were stressed by the cold and wet pattern, as the mud and cold caused some sickness with the livestock. Flooded roads made it difficult for many farmers or ranchers to get to their fields or livestock. There was a water rescue near Frederick on April 7th as someone drove into a washed out road. The wet pattern along with the flooding continued into May, further delaying planting across the region.||All counties declared emergencies/disasters in March and April due to the widespread flooding and March blizzard. South Dakota's governor declared a disaster for the state in March. This declaration was followed by a disaster declaration by the President of the United States. As a result, 24 of the 26 counties...

• Mid-Dakota Rural WaterServes 11,833 · Surface water · PrivateNo health violations
• MillerServes 1,349 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Saint LawrenceServes 198 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• WessingtonServes 170 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting