McPherson County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 386 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,310 nationally and #42 in South Dakota.
386
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the McPherson County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McPherson County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 357 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McPherson County, South Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.3M 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 McPherson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 196 | 0 | $500 | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 135 | 0 | $5K | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 27 | 2 | $3.3M | F3 | 1961–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $68K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $94K | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
McPherson 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: 30 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-07-31 | EF3 | 2 | 4 | 26.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-08-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 49.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McPherson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 1966 | Tornado | 2 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 24, 2006 | Tornado | EUREKA | 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 caused flash flooding of a farm and surrounding crops and roads 10 miles north northeast of Leola. Water flowed into the basement of the home and severely damaged or destroyed the basement and everything in it.
Estimated 80 mph winds caused damage along the south side of Leola including an unroofed barn, tipped grain bins, downed tree branches, tipped camper, and destroyed pole barn. Debris was sent flying into the home of a local resident with no injuries reported.
Significant damage occurred to the Long Lake Hutterite Colony. Witnesses said two rounds of wind caused damage to the property. Southerly storm inflow winds ripped multiple roof panels off four separate turkey barns. Debris was spread to the west northwest. Additional damage was done to a feed mill and a machine shed was completely destroyed. Debris from these buildings was tossed from north northwest to south southeast. Other grain bin damage also occurred. The total path length was about a half mile or slightly more.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,145
Population (ACS)
$86K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McPherson County, South Dakota?
386 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McPherson County?
Hail, with 196 recorded events — 50.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McPherson County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McPherson County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McPherson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McPherson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McPherson County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McPherson 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
- McCook County 391
- Marshall County 346
- Lyman County 605
- Meade County 1,584
- Lincoln County 591
- Mellette County 303
Cite this page
“McPherson County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/mcpherson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.