Todd County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 567 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #669 nationally and #22 in South Dakota.
567
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$4.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Todd County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Todd County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 175 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 524 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $1.6M 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 Todd County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 253 | 0 | $846K | 84 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 251 | 0 | $423K | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 0 | $1.6M | F2 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $270K | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $625K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1999–2004 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Todd 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
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Todd County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2025 | Tornado | ST FRANCIS | 0 | 6 | $1.0M |
| Aug 12, 1999 | Lightning | PARMELEE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Runoff from melting snow, combined with frozen culverts, caused flooding which covered numerous roads. Several areas of high water were reported by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, including 285th Street east of Prairie Hills and BIA 7 near Parmalee. Flooding along the Little White River and its tributaries covered several sections of BIA 5.
During the early morning of March 23, Hidden Timber Dam along Antelope Creek failed, most likely from being overtopped by the excessive runoff from melted snow on frozen ground. As the water made its way downstream, it flooded several roads along Antelope Creek and the Keya Paha River.
A roof was completely blown off a mobile home, causing the walls to collapse. A roof on a stick-built house was partially torn off and most of the shingles were missing. The door was blown off another mobile home. 9 large power transmission poles were broken.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,244
Population (ACS)
$54K
Median home value
13
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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 9, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mission 153
- St Francis 119
- Parmelee 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Todd County, South Dakota?
567 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Todd County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 253 recorded events — 44.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Todd County?
42 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 Todd County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Todd County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Todd County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Todd County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Todd 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
- Sully County 278
- Tripp County 595
- Stanley County 429
- Turner County 423
- Spink County 595
- Union County 491
Cite this page
“Todd County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/todd-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.