Haakon County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 570 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #664 nationally and #21 in South Dakota.
570
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Haakon County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Haakon County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 169 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 73 events fall before 1990 and 497 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $3.9M 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 Haakon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 284 | 0 | $3.9M | 90 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 222 | 0 | $211K | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $370K | F2 | 1952–2022 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Haakon 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
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Releases from Angostura Dam, combined with runoff from heavy rain, continued to cause major flooding along the Cheyenne River. The Cheyenne River near Plainview reached a preliminary height of 22.87 feet and a peak flow of 61,900 cfs on May 23, which is a new record height and the second highest discharge ever recorded at the location.
Strong winds picked up a large cattle trailer and carried it about 1/8th of a mile, through 3 corral fences and into the middle of the corral. When it went through, it knocked over the corrals, breaking off 12" x 12" square corner posts. Winds also lifted the corner tin off a barn, leaving a hole in the roof.
A tornado caused minor damage to a ranch north of Philip. Plywood and metal roofing was torn off the house. A metal shed had a collapsed wall and some roof panels torn off. A large grain bin was dented by flying debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,722
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Milesville 151
- Philip 144
- Midland 127
- Kirley 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Haakon County, South Dakota?
570 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Haakon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 284 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Haakon County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Haakon County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Haakon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Haakon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Haakon County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Haakon 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
- Gregory County 400
- Hamlin County 375
- Grant County 281
- Hand County 579
- Faulk County 366
- Hanson County 244
Cite this page
“Haakon County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/haakon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.