Aurora County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 305 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,756 nationally and #55 in South Dakota.
305
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Aurora County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Aurora County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 97 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 279 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $4.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Aurora County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 152 | 0 | $120K | 4.25 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $603K | 87 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $350K | F2 | 1966–2018 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $4.5M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Aurora County, South Dakota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Aurora County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall amounts across Aurora County from June 20-22 ranged from 3 to 9 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued. ||Numerous county and township roads were impacted by flood waters and closed. Interstate 90 was closed near the Aurora/Davison County line and South Dakota Highway 16 was closed in multiple areas parallel to the interstate. Preliminary damage assessments estimate there to be 1.93 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. ||Multiple structures were impacted by backed up water or sewage. Four residences reported damage in White Lake, estimated at a cost of 31 thousand dollars. Eighteen residences and 4 businesses in Plankinton reported damage, estimated at a cost of 582 thousand dollars.
Around 80 percent of Aurora County experienced water over county and township roads, with the greatest impacts over the southern half of the county. Travel was not recommended from Thursday through Sunday. Interstate 90 was briefly closed between Plankinton and Mount Vernon due to areas of water across the roadway. Property damage costs include damage to public infrastructure.
Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.80 inches at White Lake) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands and inundation of county roads as Firesteel Creek near Mount Vernon (gage site MTVS2) reached moderate flood stage, cresting 6.44 feet above flood stage on March 22.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,642
Population (ACS)
$152K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 18, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Plankinton 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Aurora County, South Dakota?
305 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Aurora County?
Hail, with 152 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Aurora County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Aurora County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Aurora County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Aurora County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Aurora County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Aurora County, South Dakota severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Beadle County 689
- Bennett County 413
- Bon Homme County 479
- Brookings County 509
- Brown County 1,102
- Brule County 385
Cite this page
“Aurora County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/aurora-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.