Sanborn County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 323 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,647 nationally and #51 in South Dakota.
323
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Sanborn County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sanborn County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 280 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sanborn County, South Dakota record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.8M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sanborn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 128 | 0 | $652K | 5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 84 | 0 | $125K | 82 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 84 | 2 | $1.8M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $745K | F3 | 1952–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Sanborn 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
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-06-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 20.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sanborn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2019 | Flood | WOONSOCKET | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 28, 1991 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 28, 1991 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.47 inches at Forestburg and 1.60 inches at Huron) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural land and numerous township and county roads. The James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) reached a crest of 4.18 feet above flood stage on March 25. The driver and passenger of a garbage truck were (directly) killed when their truck went off the road and into the flood waters at the base of the bridge near the gage site. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month.
Major flooding of the James River, as well as flooding of small streams and lakes in the county, continued through April. Much farmland remained flooded, both near to and away from the James River. The James River was 5.8 feet above flood stage near Forestburg on April 1st, and fell very slowly during the month. A large area of land and numerous roads were flooded. Water was running over other roads, from flooded streams, creeks, and fields as well as from the James River. Many roads were heavily damaged. Some homes and businesses were also flooded, with the flooding of these places slowly alleviating through the month. High water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010, a main reason the flooding onset was so fast in March, was also a main reason that the flooding subsided so slowly during April.
A tornado, crossing into Sanborn County from Jerauld County, destroyed or severely damaged several buildings on two farms. The tornado lifted the roof off a house. Another farmhouse had windows blown out, and shingles and aluminum siding torn off. Destroyed buildings included a barn, garage, outbuildings, and other small structures. Vehicles inside the destroyed garage were damaged. The tornado also caused tree, power line, and crop damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,384
Population (ACS)
$136K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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 |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Forestburg 185
- Letcher 127
- Woonsocket 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sanborn County, South Dakota?
323 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sanborn County?
Hail, with 128 recorded events — 39.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sanborn County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sanborn County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sanborn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sanborn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sanborn County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sanborn 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
- Roberts County 341
- Potter County 309
- Spink County 595
- Perkins County 727
- Stanley County 429
- Pennington County 2,406
Cite this page
“Sanborn County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/sanborn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.