Jerauld County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 219 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,325 nationally and #65 in South Dakota.
219
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$7.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Jerauld County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jerauld County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 195 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jerauld County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $235K | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 77 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $5.6M | F1 | 1975–2014 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2004 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Jerauld 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-18 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jerauld County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2014 | Tornado | LANE | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Jun 19, 2014 | Tornado | WESSINGTON SPGS | 0 | 1 | $5.2M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado damaged at least 43 homes in Wessington Springs, making at least 26 of them uninhabitable. The tornado also destroyed at least 3 businesses and damaged 9 others. The tornado also caused considerable damage to power lines, power poles, and trees, resulting in power outages to the entire town. Vehicles and signs were also damaged. The damage included an estimated 1.2 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. There were no reported fatalities and one minor injury. The tornado also caused an unknown amount of damage to corn and soybean crops.
Thunderstorm winds damaged numerous structures. The roofs and siding of several homes were damaged, and the roof of a camping bath house was blown off. A picnic shelter and a baseball grandstand were destroyed, as were lumber yard structures. The brick wall of a high school was damaged. The storm overturned and heavily damaged a camper and a van. Several other vehicles were heavily damaged by tree or other debris, including at least two inside destroyed small garages. The walls of a church were damaged when moved slightly by the wind. There was widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. Power lines were blown down, resulting in power outages. Several windows were broken.
A tornado severely damaged two family farms, including destroying a farmhouse as the family took shelter in their basement. A couple in the house suffered minor injuries.The tornado also damaged trees, power poles, and power lines; and caused an unknown amount of crop damage. The tornado crossed briefly into Beadle County before lifting.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,772
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 30, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 28, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 13, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wessington Spgs 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jerauld County, South Dakota?
219 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jerauld County?
Hail, with 119 recorded events — 54.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jerauld County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jerauld County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jerauld County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jerauld County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jerauld County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jerauld 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
- Jackson County 701
- Jones County 290
- Hyde County 315
- Kingsbury County 383
- Hutchinson County 473
- Lake County 334
Cite this page
“Jerauld County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/jerauld-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.