161
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Yankton County, South Dakota: 161 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 90. That places the county #1,420 nationally and #32 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Yankton County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Yankton County is the 2020s, when 46 of the county's 161 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 Yankton County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 30.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,420 for this hazard and #32 within South Dakota, putting it in the 54.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Yankton County with 49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2021 | YANKTON | 52 | 0 | 1 | $1K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2025 | GAYVILLE | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | JAMESVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2025 | NAPA | 57 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | GAYVILLE | 53 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | YANKTON | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | (YKN)CHAN GURNEY ARP | 59 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2025 | NAPA | 56 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | NAPA | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | GAYVILLE | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2024 | (YKN)CHAN GURNEY ARP | 51 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Yankton County
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 numerous trees blown down. Some homes were damaged by falling trees or tree debris. The winds drove hail that was up to golf ball size, and with the hail contributed to crop damage in the area.
Thunderstorm winds blew down power poles and lines and significantly damaged at least 6 houses. Some of the houses had holes blown in the walls from the flying debris. Significant tree damage also occurred with 10 to 20 trees uprooted.
While dime size hail and winds to around 60 mph occurred in Mission Hill, it was part of a 3 mile wide swath of more significant wind-driven hail from around 4 miles north northwest of Mission Hill to a mile south of Mission Hill. Corn and soybean fields were pulverized to stubble, with most trees stripped of leaves. At a farm 3 miles northwest of Mission Hill, a grain bin, machine shed and trailer home each lost part of the roof. Along the path, three center irrigation pivots were overturned. Property damage costs are rough estimates. 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 Yankton County, South Dakota?
161 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Yankton County between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Yankton County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Yankton County measured 90.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Yankton 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 Yankton County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/yankton-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.