603
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Meade County, South Dakota: 603 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 103. That places the county #61 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Meade County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Meade County is the 2010s, when 222 of the county's 603 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 Meade County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 38.1% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #61 for this hazard and #2 within South Dakota, putting it in the 98.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Meade County with 226 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2000 | STURGIS | 78 | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Aug 6, 2008 | STURGIS MUNI ARPT | 50 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2026 | ELM SPRINGS | 59 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2026 | HEREFORD | 54 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2025 | MUD BUTTE | 56 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2025 | (D07)FAITH ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2025 | HOWES | 51 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2025 | ELLSWORTH AFB | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2025 | HOWES | 58 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | ELM SPRINGS | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | HEREFORD | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | UNION CENTER | 54 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Meade County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong winds tore half the roof off a house and blew down two outbuildings on the south side of Faith. Several empty truck trailers were tipped over and large trees throughout town were broken and blown over. Several power poles were downed, causing the loss of electric service for about 36 hours in much of the town. Hail accumulated to a depth of 12 inches.
Thunderstorm winds ripped the roof off a large machine shed, smashed calf shelters, and tossed large round hay bales. The skirting and deck of a mobile home was torn off. At another ranch, two cone-shaped grain bins on posts were blown over.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Meade County, South Dakota?
603 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Meade County between 1963 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Meade County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Meade County measured 103.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Meade 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 Meade County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/meade-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.