Natural hazards · Wellington

Wellington, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wellington comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wellington?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wellington to be higher than in 26% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes34%Inland flooding27%Cold waves16%Hail6%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Wellington faces

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

Tornadoes

34% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

16% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice 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 Wellington flood?

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

1paid claims since 1993

$12Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $12K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Minnehaha County.

Disasters that hit Wellington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WellingtonDeclared for Minnehaha County only

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

Around Wellington

Wellington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Spring Valleymostly inland floodingModerate

Wellingtonmostly tornadoesLow

Wall Lakemostly tornadoesLow

Humboldtmostly tornadoesLow

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. Wellington covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wellington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Wellington. 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 Wellington total about $3.5M 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.