2 FEMA areas

Tornado Risk by City in South Dakota

Compare 2 cities using FEMA's relative tornado scores and annualized frequency for the county-equivalent areas shown.

Highest relative score

98.7/100

Minnehaha County

Covered cities: Sioux Falls

Lowest relative score in this set

65.1/100

Pennington County

Covered cities: Rapid City

These are relative FEMA scores for county-equivalent areas. They are not annual probabilities or property-level findings.

South Dakota tornado rankings

Cities sharing a FEMA area are grouped together and receive the same score.

RankFEMA area and citiesRatingScoreAnnualized frequency
#1

Minnehaha County

Sioux Falls
Relatively High98.7/1000.70 events per year
#2

Pennington County

Rapid City
Relatively Low65.1/1000.55 events per year

FEMA annualizes recorded qualifying tornado occurrences across the FEMA geography and source period.

Preparing for tornado

Ready.gov Tornadoes ↗

For a home or move

  • ✓Identify the lowest-floor interior room or nearby rated shelter you can reach quickly.
  • ✓Review how garage doors, roof connections, and exterior objects could perform in severe wind with a qualified local professional.
  • ✓Confirm that insurance documents cover wind damage and understand the deductible before storm season.

For a household plan

  • ✓Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts and keep a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio available.
  • ✓Keep shoes, flashlights, and head protection in or beside the shelter location.
  • ✓Practice reaching the shelter with children, pets, and anyone who needs mobility assistance.

Questions about tornado risk in South Dakota

Which covered South Dakota cities have the highest relative tornado risk?

Sioux Falls use FEMA data for Minnehaha County, which has the highest relative tornado score in this covered set at 98.7/100. Cities sharing the same FEMA area share the same score.

Which covered South Dakota area has the lowest relative tornado score?

Pennington County has the lowest score in this covered set at 65.1/100. This is a relative FEMA comparison, not a declaration that every property there is safe.

Are these tornado figures city-level?

No. The city links provide geographic navigation, while the scores and frequencies cover the FEMA county-equivalent areas shown in the table. Address-level conditions require local maps and property details.

Is the FEMA relative score an annual probability?

No. The relative score compares FEMA areas on a 0–100 scale. Annualized frequency appears separately with hazard-specific units.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.19.0, released March 2023. Hazard data covers FEMA county-equivalent areas.

FEMA source ↗Our methodology →