Custer County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 974 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 70.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #152 nationally and #5 in South Dakota.
974
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$9.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Custer County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Custer County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 13.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 376 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 931 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $4.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Custer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 682 | 0 | $4.6M | 6 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 229 | 0 | $180K | 98 | 1963–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $62K | F2 | 1961–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2019 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1998–2014 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Custer 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
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Custer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2014 | Lightning | BUFFALO GAP | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain estimated at four to six inches fell west of Hermosa between 6 pm and 8 pm MST. Battle and Grace Coolidge Creeks overflowed their banks and several dry canyons filled with water and drained into the creeks. State highways 40 and 36 were flooded in numerous spots. A river gauge on Battle Creek just east of Hermosa crested at 14.91 feet at 9 pm, rising from 2.63 ft at 7:30 pm and above the flood stage of 8.0 feet. About six inches of water covered Highway 79 at the Battle Creek bridge. A railroad bridge about 3/4 mile downstream became clogged with debris and water rose behind the embankment and flooded six homes. At about 8:30 pm MST, a section of the embankment failed, flooding a new subdivision on the other side. All of the approximately 20 houses were damaged; three homes were washed off their foundations, and one of those houses was carried a half a mile east of the subdivision by the flowing water. There were no injuries.
Significant flooding occurred on French Creek from the Custer Limestone area downstream to Stockade Lake, including the City of Custer. Several smaller tributaries into French Creek, including Ruby Creek, also flooded. Flash flooding inundated Custer Limestone Road just east of the intersection of Forest Service 284 and Forest Service 285, French Creek Road at Hoover Court, Highway 16, Highway 16A, Highway 89, Custer Street, South 4th Street, French Creek Drive, Gordon Street, 7th Street, 8th Street, Washington Street, Sidney Park, Granite Valley Drive, and Iron Creek Road. Several homes and businesses were also flooded.
Heavy rain caused flash flooding along the eastern Custer County foothills. Flooding was reported on Iron Creek, Battle Creek, Grace Coolidge Creek, Lame Johnny Creek, French Creek, and Beaver Creek. Several County roads were damaged from the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,892
Population (ACS)
$372K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Fire | QURY FIRE | FM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Dec 13, 2017 | Fire | LEGION LAKE FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Custer 235
- Hermosa 226
- Fairburn 157
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Custer County, South Dakota?
974 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Custer County?
Hail, with 682 recorded events — 70.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Custer County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Custer County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Custer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Custer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Custer County as very low risk, placing it in the 16 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Custer 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
- Corson County 626
- Davison County 467
- Codington County 523
- Day County 456
- Clay County 383
- Deuel County 264
Cite this page
“Custer County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/custer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.