McCook County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 391 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 48.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,291 nationally and #41 in South Dakota.
391
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
156
Direct injuries
$35.9M
Property damage
The record
What the McCook County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McCook County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 141 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 336 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McCook County, South Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.9M 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 McCook County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 189 | 0 | $2.2M | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 126 | 0 | $1.6M | 109 | 1969–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 6 | $28.9M | F4 | 1953–2022 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2015 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2015 |
Decade by decade
McCook 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
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-30 | EF4 | 6 | 150 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McCook County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | Tornado | SPENCER | 6 | 150 | $17.0M |
| Jun 12, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALEM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 29, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 10, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALEM | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 2, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado from Hanson County destroyed most of Spencer as it strengthened and continued to grow. Most homes, other buildings, and other structures in Spencer were completely levelled. Debris and belongings were scattered over a large area, and one receipt blown from Spencer was found just west of Chandler, MN about 80 miles east of Spencer. The tornado killed 6 and injured 150 in Spencer. The tornado continued southeast from Spencer, widened, then weakened, and dissipated 4 miles southwest of Salem with another tornado then forming from the same storm. The tornado caused additional damage to trees, power lines, crops, and buildings on farms after moving southeast of Spencer.
A tornado caused extensive damage in the Canistota area. Four metal grain storage bins were severely damaged and the roof was blown off the grain elevator. A large roof was blown off a building in Canistota resulting in rain seeping through the floors of the building. The roof blew into another building causing damage, and the flying debris took out power lines and transformers. The storm nearly totaled a farm including the house, and destroyed barns on other farms. Buildings were damaged in Montrose and a farm and metal buildings were lost on a farm east of Montrose.
Widespread golf ball to baseball-size hail fell with some softball size hail reported. The hail broke windows and caused other damage to all homes and unprotected vehicles in Salem, including 150 cars at a dealership. Severe damage occurred to crops in the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,751
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Salem 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McCook County, South Dakota?
391 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $35.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McCook County?
Hail, with 189 recorded events — 48.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McCook County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 41 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McCook County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McCook County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McCook County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McCook County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McCook 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
- Lyman County 605
- McPherson County 386
- Lincoln County 591
- Marshall County 346
- Lawrence County 703
- Meade County 1,584
Cite this page
“McCook County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/mccook-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.