Sioux County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 207 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,403 nationally and #43 in North Dakota.
207
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$6.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Sioux County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sioux County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 67 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 185 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sioux County, North Dakota record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sioux County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 113 | 0 | $3.1M | 5 | 1980–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 60 | 0 | $1.7M | 109 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $55K | F1 | 1956–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 2 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $680K | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2007 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Sioux County, North Dakota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sioux County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2019 | Flash Flood | FT YATES | 2 | 2 | $750K |
| Jul 14, 2010 | Hail | CANNON BALL | 0 | 2 | $1.5M |
| Aug 9, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | SELFRIDGE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | SELFRIDGE | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Jul 1, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | CANNON BALL | 0 | 1 | $80K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding resulted in a section of BIA Road 3, locally known as the Kenel Road which connects with ND Highway 1806, being washed out at the crossing with Joe Bush Creek. The culvert washed out and the road collapsed. Four vehicles drove into the washout and resulted in two fatalities and two injuries.
A North Dakota state record tying hailstone of five inches in diameter fell at Prairie Knights Casino and Resort. The resort, and all vehicles outside, sustained severe damage from the extreme hail. One of these large hail stones crashed through the windshield of a car, injuring the two occupants. This tied the record size five inch diameter hailstone in Mercer County on August 3, 1969.
Damage survey revealed that a microburst struck this property and completely destroyed a manufactured home which rolled onto a vehicle crushing the roof and partially damaging another vehicle. Parts of the home were blown into a barn, severely damaging it. The debris pattern was divergent in nature, and orientated toward the east/southeast. Two people were in the home at the time. One was injured (direct) and hospitalized.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,740
Population (ACS)
$85K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 1, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Selfridge 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sioux County, North Dakota?
207 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sioux County?
Hail, with 113 recorded events — 54.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sioux County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sioux County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sioux County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sioux County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sioux County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sioux County, North Dakota severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Sheridan County 127
- Slope County 167
- Sargent County 361
- Stark County 493
- Rolette County 148
- Steele County 360
Cite this page
“Sioux County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/sioux-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.