Ziebach County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 489 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #912 nationally and #30 in South Dakota.
489
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$4.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Ziebach County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ziebach County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 463 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $1.4M 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 Ziebach County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 | 0 | $282K | 78 | 1972–2026 |
| Hail | 200 | 0 | $656K | 3 | 1962–2024 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $800K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $1.1M | F3 | 1962–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Ziebach 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
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-06-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ziebach County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHERRY CREEK | 0 | 3 | $5K |
| Aug 11, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRIDGER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | Tornado | DUPREE | 0 | 2 | $750K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three to five inches of rain fell in about two hours over portions of southern Ziebach County, causing rapid rises on small creeks and overland flooding of rural areas. Several county and BIA roads were washed out, including Dupree Road and BIA 9. US Highway 212 near mile marker 121 was also inundated.
Another tornado touched down just south of Dupree and moved along the west side of town. It tore the roof off the community center, damaged a house and garage, crumpled large grain bins, and tossed several mobile homes. One person was injured when a mobile home was blown into the car in which he had taken cover and another person received minor injuries.
Runoff from heavy rain caused overland flooding and flooding along Cherry Creek, Red Scaffold Creek, and Bear Creek. Several roads were inundated, including Bear Creek Road and Cherry Creek Road. Releases from Angostura Dam, combined with runoff from heavy rain, caused major flooding along the Cheyenne River. The Cheyenne River near Plainview reached a preliminary height of 22.87 feet and a peak flow of 61,900 cfs on May 23, which is a new record height and the second highest discharge ever recorded at the location.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,377
Population (ACS)
$100K
Median home value
22
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 |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dupree 151
- Cherry Creek 125
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ziebach County, South Dakota?
489 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ziebach County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 222 recorded events — 45.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ziebach County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ziebach County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ziebach County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ziebach County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ziebach County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ziebach 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
- Yankton County 531
- Walworth County 410
- Union County 491
- Turner County 423
- Tripp County 595
- Todd County 567
Cite this page
“Ziebach County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/ziebach-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.