Mellette County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 303 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,766 nationally and #56 in South Dakota.
303
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$918K
Property damage
The record
What the Mellette County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mellette County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 285 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 $357K 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 Mellette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 162 | 0 | $151K | 4.5 | 1971–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $357K | 81 | 1966–2025 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $300K | F2 | 1969–2000 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $10K | 800 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Mellette 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mellette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | WOOD | 0 | 1 | $60K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the US Highway 83 bridge north of the town of White River. The river crested just over flood stage (14 feet) at 14.92 feet on May 28, with a peak flow around 18,100 cfs.
Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the US Highway 83 bridge north of the town of White River. The river crested at 14.82 feet just over flood stage (14 feet) on May 25, with a peak flow around 17,700 cfs.
Ice jams, combined with runoff from melting snow, caused moderate flooding along the White River. On March 22, the rising river forced the closure of US Highway 83. About a three-quarter mile stretch of Highway 83 was inundated when water backed up behind an ice jam downstream. On March 23, a record flow of 21,700 cfs was recorded at the site. This location has a period of record about 20 years.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,943
Population (ACS)
$84K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | 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 |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- White River 118
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mellette County, South Dakota?
303 events are on record between 1966 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $918K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mellette County?
Hail, with 162 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mellette County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mellette County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mellette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mellette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mellette County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mellette 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
- Meade County 1,584
- Miner County 232
- Marshall County 346
- Minnehaha County 1,164
- McPherson County 386
- Moody County 323
Cite this page
“Mellette County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/mellette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.