84
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$125K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Sanborn County, South Dakota: 84 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 82. That places the county #2,409 nationally and #60 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Sanborn County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Sanborn County is the 2000s, when 28 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 Sanborn County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 26.0% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,409 for this hazard and #60 within South Dakota, putting it in the 23.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Sanborn County with 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2025 | LETCHER | 60 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | LETCHER | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | LETCHER | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | WOONSOCKET | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | WOONSOCKET | 78 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | WOONSOCKET | 51 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | ARTESIAN | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | FORESTBURG | 66 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | WOONSOCKET | 65 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | FORESTBURG | 70 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sanborn County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous tree and limb damage was reported across Woonsocket. An empty grain bin had the sides blown in and an empty grain truck was blown over. Significant damage was done to several businesses in town with severe wall and/or roof damage to numerous buildings. A survey of direction and extent of damage from drone footage revealed this was the result of severe downburst winds.
An extended period of thunderstorm wind gusts of 58 mph or greater was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD527 4 miles east-southeast of Forestburg. A peak wind gust of 81 mph occurred at 1338CST. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD527 3 miles east-southeast of Forestburg measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 69 mph. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Sanborn County, South Dakota?
84 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Sanborn County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Sanborn County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Sanborn County measured 82.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Sanborn 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 Sanborn County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/sanborn-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.