84
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Brown County, South Dakota: 84 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #98 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Brown County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Brown County is the 1970s, when 17 of the county's 84 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Brown County archive, tornado makes up 7.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #98 for this hazard and #1 within South Dakota, putting it in the 96.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Brown County with 38 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-06-23 | EF4 | 9.0 mi | 900 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-01 | EF3 | 0.3 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-21 | EF3 | 156.3 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-23 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 900 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-31 | EF3 | 32.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-25 | EF3 | 1.5 mi | 133 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-20 | EF3 | 3.8 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-31 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 253 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-22 | EF2 | 18.6 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2010-05-22 | EF2 | 1.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 1973 | F3 | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 1, 1966 | F2 | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 16, 1978 | F2 | 0 | 15 | $250K | |
| Jun 25, 1969 | F3 | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 31, 1996 | ABERDEEN | F3 | 0 | 1 | $750K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2025 | NAHON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2022 | COLUMBIA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2022 | ABERDEEN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2022 | RUDOLPH | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2020 | FREDERICK | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2017 | GROTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | COLUMBIA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2010 | HOUGHTON | EF2 | $0 |
| May 23, 2010 | BARNARD | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2008 | ABERDEEN | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Brown County
- Hail 437
- Thunderstorm Wind 404
- Flood 140
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado damage started with tree branches tossed about a quarter mile across an open pasture. The next damage point was an uprooted tree as well as two calving sheds completely destroyed. Sheet metal and lumber from the sheds were tossed about a quarter mile across an open pasture. The last evidence of the tornado was a narrow path of downed trees in the middle of a line of trees.
A tornado entered into western Brown county from southeast Mcpherson county. The tornado was an EF2 before entering Brown county. The tornado slowly dissipated shortly after entering the county with some tree damage observed.
An eighth tornado touched down west of Hecla producing damage to one farm including tearing the roof off of an outbuilding and throwing several grain bins 100 yards or more. Widespread tree damage was also noted. The tornado continued northeast damaging another outbuilding and destroying an empty grain bin before lifting. Wind speeds were estimated between 112 and 120 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Brown County, South Dakota?
84 tornado events are recorded in Brown County between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Brown County?
The strongest tornado on record in Brown County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Brown County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Brown County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/brown-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.