Natural hazards · Jefferson

Jefferson, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Jefferson comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2014.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Jefferson?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Jefferson to be higher than in 82% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding58%Tornadoes20%Everything else22%

By hazard

What Jefferson faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Jefferson flood?

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

9paid claims since 2014

$1.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20142026

Biggest named events

June Midwest Flooding: 6 claims, $1.1M

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Union County.

Disasters that hit Jefferson

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into JeffersonDeclared for Union County only

Union County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Jefferson

Jefferson and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Big Siouxmostly inland floodingVery high

Jeffersonmostly inland floodingVery high

Civil Bendmostly inland floodingVery high

Elk Pointmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Jefferson covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Jefferson’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Jefferson. 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 Jefferson total about $4.6M 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.