Clark County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 426 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,147 nationally and #36 in South Dakota.
426
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$3.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Clark County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clark County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 128 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 358 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clark County, South Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M 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 Clark County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 233 | 0 | $60K | 4.5 | 1963–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 130 | 0 | $12K | 87 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 1 | $3.4M | F3 | 1953–2023 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $271K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Clark 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
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-06-21 | EF3 | 1 | 7 | 156.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clark County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 1961 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| Jul 20, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 30, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLARK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail fell in a narrow path estimated to be 15 miles long across southern Clark County and including the Willow Lake area. Corn, wheat, and soybean crops were severely damaged. The hail broke windows on several homes, damaged siding and shingles, and damaged vehicles.
A brief tornado touchdown resulted in the loss of half a barn|roof. Debris from the barn was spread to the north northwest. The|small track was evident through a shelterbelt where large tree|branches were broken and debris was left in the upper reaches of|the trees. Barn debris would continue to track into an open field|roughly 0.3 miles from the original location. Other structures on|the property were also damaged by wind and flying debris.
The tornado touched down quickly on the southern edge of the|farm. A barn completely lost the roof and external walls on about|two thirds of the structure. Debris from the barn was spread to|the northeast. 2×4 s were pierced vertically into the ground and|sheet metal from the barn was wrapped around trees. One|2×4 pierced through the garage attached to the house. Debris|would continue to be found about a quarter mile to the northeast,|across an open field and into the neighbor's farm yard.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,917
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 27, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | 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 |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clark County, South Dakota?
426 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clark County?
Hail, with 233 recorded events — 54.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clark County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clark County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clark County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clark County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clark County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clark 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
- Charles Mix County 590
- Clay County 383
- Campbell County 276
- Codington County 523
- Butte County 678
- Corson County 626
Cite this page
“Clark County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/clark-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.