Jackson County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 701 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #403 nationally and #9 in South Dakota.
701
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 244 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 670 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 $1.2M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 354 | 0 | $1.2M | 83 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 292 | 0 | $1.1M | 4.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $200K | F2 | 1964–2025 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $955K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $67K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Jackson 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
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2025 | Tornado | KADOKA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | WANBLEE | 0 | 2 | $383K |
| Jun 10, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CEDAR PASS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The White River overflowed its banks from south of Interior to south of Belvidere and covered Highway 44. Flooding was reported along Cottonwood Creek, the South Fork of the Bad River, and their tributaries. Flooding was also reported around Cottonwood, Kadoka, and Interior.
Ice jams, combined with runoff from melted snow, caused minor to moderate flooding along the White River and other small creeks in Jackson County. Minor flooding occurred near Interior from March 22 through March 25. Further downstream, south of Kadoka, moderate flooding occurred with widespread flooding of agricultural land and outbuildings. On March 25, the high flows eroded away the river bank where the stream gage south of Kadoka was located. Based on high water marks, the USGS determined the river crested at 15.34 feet at the old location and 16.72 feet at the new upstream location. This would be the fourth highest river level at this location and the highest river level since 1982. Additional flooding occurred around the Long Valley and Wanblee areas, including along Fish Creek Road, where a county bridge was destroyed by flood waters.
Significant flooding occurred along the White River south of Kadoka. A record gauge height of 17.57 feet was set (flood stage is 13 feet), with a peak flow of 17,800 cfs, which is the highest flow recorded since measurements began at this location in 1942. Widespread flooding of agricultural land occurred and several outbuildings were inundated. A county road and bridge about 10 miles downstream of the gauge were washed out and SD Highway 44 south of Interior was covered with water in three locations.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,802
Population (ACS)
$117K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 27, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Belvidere 134
- Kadoka 114
- Cactus Flats 105
- Interior 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, South Dakota?
701 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 354 recorded events — 50.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Hyde County 315
- Jerauld County 219
- Hutchinson County 473
- Jones County 290
- Hughes County 512
- Kingsbury County 383
Cite this page
“Jackson County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.