40
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
151
Direct injuries
$28.9M
Property damage
Tornado in McCook County, South Dakota: 40 recorded events between 1953 and 2022. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #620 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in McCook County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in McCook County is the 2000s, when 9 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 McCook County archive, tornado makes up 10.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 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
May is the peak month for tornado in McCook County with 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-30 | EF4 | 14.0 mi | 1,150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-07 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-24 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 10.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-16 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-30 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-01 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-10-01 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | SPENCER | F4 | 6 | 150 | $17.0M |
| Jul 2, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2022 | MONTROSE | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2009 | BRIDGEWATER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 6, 2007 | SPENCER | EF2 | $50K |
| Sep 16, 2006 | BRIDGEWATER | F2 | $100K |
| Jun 13, 2001 | STANLEY CORNER | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2001 | BRIDGEWATER | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2001 | MONTROSE | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2001 | SPENCER | F0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2000 | CANISTOTA | F0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2000 | SALEM | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McCook County
- Hail 189
- Thunderstorm Wind 126
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado from Hanson County destroyed most of Spencer as it strengthened and continued to grow. Most homes, other buildings, and other structures in Spencer were completely levelled. Debris and belongings were scattered over a large area, and one receipt blown from Spencer was found just west of Chandler, MN about 80 miles east of Spencer. The tornado killed 6 and injured 150 in Spencer. The tornado continued southeast from Spencer, widened, then weakened, and dissipated 4 miles southwest of Salem with another tornado then forming from the same storm. The tornado caused additional damage to trees, power lines, crops, and buildings on farms after moving southeast of Spencer.
A tornado caused extensive damage in the Canistota area. Four metal grain storage bins were severely damaged and the roof was blown off the grain elevator. A large roof was blown off a building in Canistota resulting in rain seeping through the floors of the building. The roof blew into another building causing damage, and the flying debris took out power lines and transformers. The storm nearly totaled a farm including the house, and destroyed barns on other farms. Buildings were damaged in Montrose and a farm and metal buildings were lost on a farm east of Montrose.
A tornado affected 3 farmsteads, destroying numerous outbuildings, damaging farm equipment and a home, killing at least 5 cattle and injuring others. The tornado also damaged a hog confinement building and overturned a semi trailer on Interstate 90.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in McCook County, South Dakota?
40 tornado events are recorded in McCook County between 1953 and 2022, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in McCook County?
The strongest tornado on record in McCook County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for McCook 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 McCook County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/mccook-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.