40
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$2.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Hand County, South Dakota: 40 recorded events between 1959 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #620 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Hand County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Hand County is the 2010s, when 11 of the county's 40 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 Hand County archive, tornado makes up 6.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #12 within South Dakota, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Hand County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08-24 | EF3 | 24.5 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-03 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 87 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-30 | EF2 | 1.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-24 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-09-02 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-03 | EF2 | 20.1 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-03 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-25 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-06-23 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-13 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 175 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2020 | POLO | EF2 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 1964 | F1 | 0 | 10 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2023 | DANFORTH | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2020 | POLO | EF2 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2018 | ST LAWRENCE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2018 | VAYLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2018 | ST LAWRENCE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2017 | POLO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2017 | POLO | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2017 | POLO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2014 | REE HGTS | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2014 | REE HGTS | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hand County
- Hail 321
- Thunderstorm Wind 171
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado initially touched down in the pasture land east of South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.8 miles south of 184th Street. It continued to track north for roughly 0.6 miles, damaging a tree grove and fence line. The track then turned west northwest and crossed South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.2 miles south of 184th street. A southbound RV pulling an enclosed trailer was struck. The trailer detached from the RV and the RV was lofted and rolled roughly 200 yards into a corn field on the west side of of South Dakota Highway 45. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The tornado track continued west northwest through the corn field for an estimated 0.4 miles. The tornado was at its peak width and intensity at this point. Corn was completely flattened in some areas with a distinct convergent pattern. As the tornado weakened and roped out the path took a southwest turn and persisted for roughly another 0.6 miles before coming to an end in the corn field.
A second tornado touched down picking up a substantial calving barn and rolling and tossing it about 100 feet to the northeast. The calving barn destroyed a fence line and severely damaged a chicken coop and large tree in the process. Sheet metal was removed from the top side of a separate barn. Additional debris was tossed to the southeast about 150 to 200 feet, bending a fence. Chemical and water storage tanks were tossed about 50 feet to the north. Hay bales were removed from stacks and tossed/rolled to the east with a bale in a feeder picked up and destroyed. Large hail dented the siding and broke windows on both houses on the farmstead.
A supercell thunderstorm on its southeast track produced a fourth tornado in Hand county. This tornado touched down west of Miller. The tornado destroyed a large barn and a car was moved nearly 20 feet. Well built structures were heavily damaged and several were pushed slightly off of their foundations. Significant tree damage also occurred.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Hand County, South Dakota?
40 tornado events are recorded in Hand County between 1959 and 2023, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Hand County?
The strongest tornado on record in Hand County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Hand 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 Hand County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/hand-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.