Tripp County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 595 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #598 nationally and #16 in South Dakota.
595
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Tripp County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tripp County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 8.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 199 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 510 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.7M 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 Tripp County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 282 | 0 | $741K | 4.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 246 | 0 | $963K | 85 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 0 | $2.7M | F5 | 1957–2020 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $491K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Tripp 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
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-08 | EF5 | 0 | 1 | 30.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tripp County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2010 | Hail | COLOME | 0 | 1 | $600K |
| Jul 8, 1998 | Funnel Cloud | WINNER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 8, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind gusts to 75 mph downed numerous power poles and trees across south central Tripp County. A few small barns and sheds were also blown over by the wind. The combination of hail and wind destroyed siding on a house south of Winner and flattened crops.
A tornado tracked along East 3rd Street in Winner, blowing down carports, trees, and tractor-trailers. A large barn was destroyed east of Winner; the curved roof was blown off in one piece and tossed across a corral. Another machine shed was blown apart. Based on the extent of the damage, wind speeds were estimated around 75 mph through town with peak winds 95 to 115 mph.
A brief tornado touched down north of Clearfield in southwestern Tripp County and tracked across a farm, causing considerable property damage. Two livestock trailers were tossed by the winds estimated near 100 mph. A pole shed was destroyed with the poles torn from the ground and metal siding and roof blown across the yard. The home had roof and siding damage. Two power poles were downed. There were no injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,611
Population (ACS)
$133K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Oct 7, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hamill 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tripp County, South Dakota?
595 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tripp County?
Hail, with 282 recorded events — 47.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tripp County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tripp County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tripp County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tripp County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tripp County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tripp 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
- Todd County 567
- Turner County 423
- Sully County 278
- Union County 491
- Stanley County 429
- Walworth County 410
Cite this page
“Tripp County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/tripp-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.