Natural hazards · Aberdeen

Aberdeen, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Aberdeen comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 262 claims here since 1978.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Aberdeen?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Aberdeen to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves51%Inland flooding28%Tornadoes8%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Aberdeen faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Cold waves

51% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Aberdeen flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aberdeen, from FEMA’s records.

262paid claims since 1978

$2.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 1 claim, $12K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Aberdeen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Brown County.

Disasters that hit Aberdeen

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Brown County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aberdeen itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into AberdeenDeclared for Brown County only

Brown County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Aberdeen

Aberdeen and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Aberdeenmostly cold wavesModerate

Warnermostly inland floodingLow

Bathmostly inland floodingLow

Merciermostly inland floodingLow

Lincolnmostly inland floodingLow

Ordwaymostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Aberdeen covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Aberdeen’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Aberdeen. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Aberdeen total about $13.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.