StateSD1950 → 2025
South Dakota
Every recorded South Dakota tornado since 1950: 1,956 tornadoes, 10 rated F4/EF4 or stronger, by year, month and county.
Counts use the part of each tornado inside this state. A tornado that crossed a state line is counted in each state it touched.
1,956
Tornadoes
10
F/EF4 or stronger
19
Tornado deaths
3,915
Miles of track
69
Counties with a tornado
Tornadoes per year
19501960197019801990200020102020
Tornadoes by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Strongest
Ranked by rating, then deaths, then path length.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05/08/65 | F5 | Gregory to Winner, South Dakota | SD | 30.1 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 05/30/98 | F4 | Alexandria to Salem, South Dakota | SD | 14.0 mi | 1,150 yd | 6 | 150 |
| 3 | 06/07/65 | F4 | Viborg, South Dakota | SD | 7.8 mi | 647 yd | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 06/07/93 | F4 | Colton to Hendricks, South Dakota | SD | 54.0 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | 06/18/14 | EF4 | Woonsocket to Wessington Springs, South Dakota | SD | 11.5 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 06/07/93 | F4 | Salem to Ramona, South Dakota | SD | 10.0 mi | 500 yd | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 06/24/03 | F4 | De Smet, South Dakota | SD | 10.0 mi | 1,000 yd | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | 06/23/02 | F4 | Aberdeen to Ellendale, South Dakota | SD | 9.0 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 05/22/10 | EF4 | Selby, South Dakota | SD | 5.7 mi | 1,200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 07/07/69 | F4 | Belle Fourche, South Dakota | SD | 1.8 mi | 133 yd | 0 | 0 |
Deadliest
Deaths in this state.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05/30/98 | F4 | Alexandria to Salem, South Dakota | SD | 14.0 mi | 1,150 yd | 6 | 150 |
| 2 | 07/31/66 | F3 | Ashley, ND to Ipswich, SD | ND, SD | 25.1 mi | 280 yd | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 06/20/57 | F2 | Redfield, South Dakota | SD | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 06/21/61 | F3 | Groton to Estelline, South Dakota | SD | 156 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | 06/07/65 | F0 | Canton, South Dakota | SD | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | 06/07/65 | F4 | Viborg, South Dakota | SD | 7.8 mi | 647 yd | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 07/31/66 | F2 | Aberdeen, South Dakota | SD | 2.3 mi | 253 yd | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 07/14/70 | F2 | Beresford, South Dakota | SD | 3.8 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 06/24/73 | F2 | Wagner, South Dakota | SD | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 07/01/73 | F3 | Warner, South Dakota | SD | 0.3 mi | 30 yd | 1 | 3 |
Longest tracks in South Dakota
Length on the ground inside this state.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 06/21/61 | F3 | Groton to Estelline, South Dakota | SD | 156 mi | 10 yd | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 05/14/62 | F3 | Corsica to Mitchell, South Dakota | SD | 70.4 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 06/07/93 | F4 | Colton to Hendricks, South Dakota | SD | 54.0 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | 06/28/61 | F2 | Eureka to Aberdeen, South Dakota | SD | 49.7 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 05/21/62 | F1 | Gregory to Lake Andes, South Dakota | SD | 47.9 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 06/19/71 | F2 | Lake Norden to Elkton, South Dakota | SD | 36.8 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 06/27/65 | F3 | Tyndall to Freeman, South Dakota | SD | 35.6 mi | 163 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 05/05/65 | F1 | Hendricks to Madison, South Dakota | SD | 34.7 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 08/08/69 | F2 | Mitchell to Canistota, South Dakota | SD | 34.3 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 06/20/68 | F2 | Gregory to Chamberlain, South Dakota | SD | 33.5 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
Widest since 1995
Maximum path width.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05/22/10 | EF4 | Selby, South Dakota | SD | 5.7 mi | 1,200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 05/30/98 | F4 | Alexandria to Salem, South Dakota | SD | 14.0 mi | 1,150 yd | 6 | 150 |
| 3 | 06/24/03 | F4 | De Smet, South Dakota | SD | 10.0 mi | 1,000 yd | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | 06/23/02 | F3 | Ellendale to Aberdeen, South Dakota | SD | 10.0 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 06/23/02 | F4 | Aberdeen to Ellendale, South Dakota | SD | 9.0 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 06/28/18 | EF3 | Belle Fourche, South Dakota | SD | 3.6 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 06/18/14 | EF4 | Woonsocket to Wessington Springs, South Dakota | SD | 11.5 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | 07/28/08 | EF1 | Dupree, South Dakota | SD | 11.2 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 06/22/12 | EF2 | Edgemont, South Dakota | SD | 16.7 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 10/04/13 | EF1 | Jefferson, South Dakota | SD, IA | 4.8 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 0 |
Widest 1950 to 1994
Mean path width.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 06/21/68 | F3 | Mitchell to Alexandria, South Dakota | SD | 9.9 mi | 2,667 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 05/14/62 | F3 | Ainsworth, NE to Burke, SD | NE, SD | 8.5 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | 05/14/62 | F3 | Corsica to Mitchell, South Dakota | SD | 70.4 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | 06/05/62 | F3 | Springfield to Tyndall, South Dakota | SD | 9.5 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 05/08/65 | F5 | Gregory to Winner, South Dakota | SD | 30.1 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 09/15/68 | F1 | Winner to Oacoma, South Dakota | SD | 9.2 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 06/14/70 | F2 | Selby, South Dakota | SD | 2.5 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 07/12/65 | F3 | Sundance, WY to Lead, SD | WY, SD | 11.4 mi | 1,400 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 07/01/70 | F2 | Alcester, South Dakota | SD | 2.3 mi | 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 05/12/84 | F3 | Clark to Watertown, South Dakota | SD | 27.0 mi | 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 |
Counties
select a column to sort| County | Tornadoes | F/EF4+ | Deaths | Years | Strongest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 86 | 1 | 3 | 1955–2025 | F4 |
| Lincoln County | 60 | 0 | 2 | 1954–2025 | F3 |
| Minnehaha County | 52 | 1 | 0 | 1956–2022 | F4 |
| Pennington County | 51 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2019 | F2 |
| Spink County | 50 | 0 | 2 | 1953–2025 | F3 |
| Meade County | 49 | 0 | 0 | 1965–2024 | F3 |
| Hutchinson County | 48 | 0 | 0 | 1950–2024 | F3 |
| Kingsbury County | 48 | 1 | 1 | 1959–2023 | F4 |
| Charles Mix County | 47 | 0 | 1 | 1954–2019 | F3 |
| Turner County | 47 | 1 | 1 | 1954–2021 | F4 |
| Perkins County | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1957–2023 | EF2 |
| Hand County | 45 | 0 | 1 | 1959–2023 | F3 |
| McCook County | 44 | 1 | 6 | 1953–2022 | F4 |
| Lyman County | 43 | 0 | 0 | 1960–2025 | F3 |
| Todd County | 41 | 0 | 0 | 1960–2025 | F2 |
| Beadle County | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1953–2022 | EF4 |
| Miner County | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1962–2020 | F3 |
| Tripp County | 38 | 1 | 0 | 1957–2020 | F5 |
| Clark County | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1953–2023 | F3 |
| Deuel County | 37 | 0 | 0 | 1970–2025 | EF3 |
| Brookings County | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1965–2023 | F4 |
| Codington County | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1951–2025 | F3 |
| Day County | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2022 | F2 |
| Fall River County | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1967–2017 | F2 |
| Bennett County | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1956–2020 | F3 |
| Roberts County | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1951–2023 | F3 |
| Clay County | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1965–2021 | F2 |
| Edmunds County | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1955–2022 | EF4 |
| Brule County | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2010 | F3 |
| Haakon County | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1952–2022 | F2 |
| Walworth County | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1955–2025 | EF4 |
| Yankton County | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1954–2014 | F4 |
| Dewey County | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2014 | F2 |
| Gregory County | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1952–2025 | F3 |
| Lake County | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1956–2021 | F4 |
| McPherson County | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1961–2025 | F3 |
| Bon Homme County | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2023 | F3 |
| Douglas County | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1960–2015 | F3 |
| Davison County | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2015 | F3 |
| Hamlin County | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2025 | F2 |
| Union County | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2014 | F3 |
| Ziebach County | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1962–2015 | F3 |
| Corson County | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2025 | F2 |
| Marshall County | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2021 | F3 |
| Sanborn County | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1952–2018 | F3 |
| Stanley County | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1960–2023 | F2 |
| Faulk County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1952–2024 | F3 |
| Grant County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1955–2023 | F2 |
| Harding County | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1957–2018 | F4 |
| Jackson County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2025 | F2 |
| Lawrence County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2020 | F3 |
| Shannon County | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1956–2007 | F3 |
| Sully County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1965–2021 | F2 |
| Hanson County | 21 | 1 | 6 | 1954–2010 | F4 |
| Potter County | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1955–2011 | F2 |
| Aurora County | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1966–2018 | EF3 |
| Buffalo County | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1955–2014 | F3 |
| Butte County | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1955–2024 | F3 |
| Campbell County | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1964–2024 | F3 |
| Hughes County | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1963–2003 | F3 |
| Hyde County | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1963–2020 | F1 |
| Jerauld County | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1971–2014 | EF4 |
| Custer County | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1961–2021 | F2 |
| Mellette County | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1969–2000 | F2 |
| Moody County | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1956–2008 | F2 |
| Jones County | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1971–2022 | EF2 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2016–2018 | EF0 |
| County 131 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1953–1977 | F2 |
| County 001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1981 | F0 |
- Reporting changed over time. Tornado counts rose from the 1990s on as Doppler radar, spotter networks and cameras caught more weak tornadoes. Counts from different decades are not directly comparable, especially for the weakest ratings.
- F and EF ratings. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale replaced the Fujita (F) Scale on 02/01/07. Both estimate wind speed from damage, but they use different damage indicators, so each rating is shown with its own scale.
- Ratings before the mid 1970s. The F Scale came into use in the early 1970s. Tornadoes from 1950 until then were rated afterward from newspaper accounts, photos and records, which tends to make those ratings less certain.
Titan Archive · a Tornado Titans project
Data: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database · updated 10/03/26