130
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Lake County, South Dakota: 130 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 96. That places the county #1,789 nationally and #41 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Lake County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Lake County is the 2010s, when 45 of the county's 130 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 Lake County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 38.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,789 for this hazard and #41 within South Dakota, putting it in the 43.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Lake County with 35 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2025 | SMITHS PARK | 55 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | MADISON | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | ORLAND | 56 | $0 |
| May 30, 2022 | MADISON MUNI ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| May 30, 2022 | MADISON MUNI ARPT | 59 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | JUNIUS | 78 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | WENTWORTH | 83 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | NUNDA | 74 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | MADISON | 91 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | MADISON | 78 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lake County
- Hail 150
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several trees uprooted or flattened, and others snapped a few feet above the ground. The winds also destroyed a 60 foot by 90 foot shed. Several homes and vehicles were damaged, including a car crushed by a tree and a garage heavily damaged by a falling tree. The winds caused damage to power lines and poles, both directly and from wind blown debris, with a resulting power outage in most of Wentworth.
A thunderstorm wind gust of 97 mph was measured by Automated Weather Observing System site KMDS 1 mile east-northeast of Madison. Extensive tree and building damage occurred throughout the city. Five families were displaced as damage to their houses from wind and falling trees rendered residences uninhabitable. Several 500 lb. tanks from an agricultural supply story were blown across a four lane highway into the water treatment plant. Three of the tanks ended up in a creek by the water treatment plant, with one severely damaging the cooperative observation equipment.
Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, including numerous trees and power poles blown down. The damage resulted in power outages in the area. The wind also damaged corn crops. The amount of property and crop damage was not known.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Lake County, South Dakota?
130 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Lake County between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Lake County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Lake County measured 96.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Lake 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Lake County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/lake-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.