Storm risk in Pennington County, South Dakota

FEMA's overall hazard score for Pennington County is 78.56 (Relatively Low), 675th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 96.95 (Relatively High), strong wind 30.41 (Relatively Low) and tornado 61.01 (Relatively Low). Expected hail loss is $140 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 745 hail reports in Pennington County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Pennington County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of SD$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $140 per $1 million, 337th of 3,126 rated counties$140Hail337th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $3.79 per $1 million, 2,736th of 3,121 rated counties$3.79Strong wind2,736th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $89 per $1 million, 2,132nd of 3,144 rated counties$89Tornado2,132nd of 3,144 counties
  • Pennington County, coloured by its FEMA rating
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  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Pennington County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in SD
OverallRelatively Low 78.56675 of 3,1443 of 66
HailRelatively High 96.9597 of 3,1261 of 66
Strong windRelatively Low 30.412,189 of 3,12628 of 66
TornadoRelatively Low 61.011,227 of 3,12615 of 66

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$3,017,974$140 $43$22 337 of 3,1263 of 66
Strong wind$81,476$3.79 $42$20 2,736 of 3,12166 of 66
Tornado$1,901,941$89 $227$199 2,132 of 3,14463 of 66

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Pennington County

  • FEMA expects hail in Pennington County to cost $140 per $1 million of buildings a year: 6.29 times the U.S. median and 3.29 times the SD county median, ranked 337th of 3,126 counties nationally and 3rd of 66 in South Dakota.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Pennington County to cost $3.79 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.19 times the U.S. median and 0.09 times the SD county median, ranked 2,736th of 3,121 counties nationally and 66th of 66 in South Dakota.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Pennington County to cost $89 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.44 times the U.S. median and 0.39 times the SD county median, ranked 2,132nd of 3,144 counties nationally and 63rd of 66 in South Dakota.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $270,400 home, the average yearly loss in Pennington County is about $38 for hail and $1.03 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $6.04 and $5.51.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Pennington County meets about 260.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1982, the median home in Pennington County is 44 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 71.2% of its 50,655 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 325 of the 745 hail reports in Pennington County (44 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Pennington County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$38hail, a year; $6.04 at the U.S. median county rate
$1.03strong wind, a year; $5.51 at the U.S. median county rate
$780hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Pennington County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $3,017,974 ÷ $21,480,394,213 = 0.0001405. Wind: $81,476 ÷ $21,480,394,213 = 0.0000038. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Pennington County in plain numbers

  • Pennington County scores 78.56 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 675th of 3,144 rated counties and 3rd of 66 in South Dakota.
  • Hail scores 96.95 (Relatively High). FEMA expects $3,017,974 of hail damage to buildings in Pennington County a year, which is $140 per $1 million of buildings, 6.29 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 30.41 (Relatively Low) with $81,476 of expected yearly building loss in Pennington County: $3.79 per $1 million of buildings, 0.19 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 61.01 (Relatively Low) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $1,901,941, counting everything exposed, or $89 per $1 million of buildings in Pennington County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Pennington County averages 5.77 hail events and 2.92 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 745 hail reports in Pennington County between 2014 and June 2026, on 158 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 4.5 inches.
  • In Pennington County, FEMA counts buildings worth 21.48 billion dollars and 109,015 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Pennington County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 109,015 residents.
  • 1 city in Pennington County is covered on this site: Rapid City. 8 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Rapid City is $6,090 to $13,485.
  • Pennington County ranks 22 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 162 for wind and 156 for tornado.
  • In Pennington County, July is the busiest month with 288 of the 745 reports (39 percent), against 0 reports in January.
  • Pennington County's worst year was 2023, with 20 hail days at 1 inch or more and 115 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 13.00 such days a year, one about every 0.9 months.
  • The median home in Pennington County was built in 1982; 48.1% of its 50,655 housing units date from before 1980, 71.2% from before 2000 and 13.1% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Pennington County at $270,400, and 69.1% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 4,766 single-family building permits were issued in Pennington County from 2014 to 2025, about 94.1 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 5 tornado tracks in Pennington County since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on June 13, 2016 near Hayward, 7.42 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Pennington County is 86 mph on June 14, 2014 at Wall.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Weld County, 257 miles from the centre of Pennington County; its hail score is 98.98.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 23 roofing contractor establishments in Pennington County in 2023, one for every 2,202 homes.
  • FEMA has named Pennington County in 6 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 161 days before its data end, and 2 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Pennington County, year by year

NOAA logged 745 reports in Pennington County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 158 days. That is 13.0 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Pennington County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more02550751001252014: 41 reports, 11 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3 inch142015: 61 reports, 15 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3.5 inch152016: 70 reports, 18 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch162017: 31 reports, 7 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch172018: 74 reports, 14 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch182019: 77 reports, 13 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.25 inch192020: 120 reports, 18 days at 1 inch or more, largest 4.5 inch202021: 41 reports, 10 days at 1 inch or more, largest 4.5 inch212022: 37 reports, 13 days at 1 inch or more, largest 4.5 inch222023: 115 reports, 20 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3.25 inch232024: 47 reports, 10 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.25 inch242025: 19 reports, 7 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch252026: 12 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Pennington County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 0 reports0MarApril: 10 reports10AprMay: 73 reports73MayJune: 242 reports242JunJuly: 288 reports288JulAugust: 107 reports107AugSeptember: 22 reports22SepOctober: 3 reports3OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: July, 288 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
2014411153 in$1,850,000
2015611583.5 in$510,000
20167018122.75 in–
201731721.75 in–
2018741492.75 in–
2019771382.25 in–
202012018104.5 in–
2021411074.5 in–
2022371364.5 in–
20231152083.25 in–
2024471052.25 in–
202519721.75 in–
2026 (to June)12211.75 in–

Biggest hail days in Pennington County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
August 8, 20204.5 in9none recordedPactola Reservoir
August 26, 20214.5 in7none recordedDeerfield
June 12, 20224.5 in2none recordedCreighton
July 27, 20153.5 in6none recordedHill City
July 10, 20203.25 in22none recordedRapid City

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Pennington County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Pennington County

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  • 01 to 1.74 in
  • 1121.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 282.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 4.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

605 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates; the map shows the 140 largest. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Pennington County

Fastest gusts in Pennington County

DateGustNear
June 14, 201486 mphWall
August 8, 201683 mph(Rap)Rapid City Arpt
June 19, 201582 mphWasta
August 9, 201681 mphHisega

Strongest tornado tracks in Pennington County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
June 13, 2016EF27.42 mi0 / 0Hayward
July 4, 2019EF11.66 mi0 / 0Deerfield
July 4, 2019EF11.22 mi0 / 0Deerfield
July 4, 2019EF10.3 mi0 / 0Rochford

5 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Pennington County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 13.00 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Pennington County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 6.6% of homes6.6%<194011831940s: 2.9% of homes2.9%1940s10531950s: 12.8% of homes12.8%1950s9231960s: 7.7% of homes7.7%1960s7931970s: 18.2% of homes18.2%1970s6631980s: 11.2% of homes11.2%1980s5331990s: 11.9% of homes11.9%1990s4032000s: 15.7% of homes15.7%2000s2732010s: 11.4% of homes11.4%2010s1432020+: 1.7% of homes1.7%2020+39

Bars: share of 50,655 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1982
Built before 198048.1%
Built before 200071.2%
Built since 201013.1%
Owner-occupied69.1%
Median home value$270,400
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20254,766
Permits per 1,000 homes94.1

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Pennington County

Roofing firms in Pennington County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202323
Change since 2016+10 (+77%)
Homes per roofing firm2,202
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023115

Source for Pennington County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Pennington County since 2014

Declarations naming Pennington County6
Storm / flood / winter / fire2 / 2 / 0 / 2
Median SD county4
Rank among 55 SD counties5
Days from the latest to the data cutoff161

Source for Pennington County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Pennington County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Weld County, CO257 Relatively Moderate $1330.95$153.89480
Larimer County, CO273 Relatively Moderate $1330.94$4.371.15201
Adams County, CO300 Relatively Moderate $4713.35$9.122.40170
Buffalo County, NE302 Relatively Low $4983.54$18147.62136
Boulder County, CO302 Relatively Moderate $1320.94$113.00146

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Pennington County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 8 such areas have more than half their land here.

Storm hit your roof in Pennington County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

Start an inspection request

Questions

How high is storm risk in Pennington County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pennington County an overall score of 78.56 (Relatively Low), 675th of 3,144. Hail scores 96.95 (Relatively High), strong wind 30.41 (Relatively Low) and tornado 61.01 (Relatively Low).

In Pennington County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 745 for Pennington County between 2014 and June 2026, on 158 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 4.5 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Pennington County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $270,400: FEMA's estimate is about $38 a year for hail and $1.03 for wind, before any deductible, against $6.04 and $5.51 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Pennington County compare with the rest of South Dakota?

Per $1 million of buildings Pennington County loses $140 to hail a year, against $43 in the median county of the state. Among 66 rated counties it is 1st for hail, 28th for strong wind and 15th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Pennington County?

The median home was built in 1982, 44 years ago, and 71.2% of the 50,655 housing units in Pennington County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Pennington County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Pennington County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Pennington County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Pennington County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Pennington County. Planning-level information about Pennington County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).