Bon Homme County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 479 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #954 nationally and #31 in South Dakota.
479
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$6.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Bon Homme County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bon Homme County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 158 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 412 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $2.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bon Homme County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 226 | 0 | $230K | 5 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 118 | 0 | $2.0M | 96 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 91 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $1.0M | F3 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Bon Homme County, South Dakota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-06-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 35.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bon Homme County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250 | |
| Apr 19, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall amounts across Bon Homme County from June 20-22 ranged from 2 to 3 inches with an estimated 5 to 6 inches across the far northern portion of the county. Overland flooding ensued with additional major flooding along the James River.||One home experienced a partial basement collapse and 3 businesses received flood damage. ||During peak flooding on June 21, water was overflowing at least 60 roads county-wide with the worst impacts north of South Dakota Highway 46, including South Dakota Highway 25 and the intersection of South Dakota Highways 46 and 37. Water also overran South Dakota Highway 50 near the Bon Homme Golf Course. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be nearly 1.17 million dollars.||The majority of overland flooding subsided by June 22, but river flooding continued through the end of the month. For additional information on river flooding, please see other flood entries for Bon Homme County.
Thunderstorm winds destroyed about 6 houses, severely damaged several other houses and shops, destroyed or damaged several unattached garages, destroyed farm outbuildings and other farm structures, caused widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down, moved a large boat 25 yards from a parked position, damaging the boat, and damaged or destroyed outdoor furniture.
Thunderstorm winds blew over and heavily damaged a concession stand at a ball park, damaged front of two businesses on Main Street, blew down several trees, damaged several small buildings at nearby farms, and injured several calves.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,044
Population (ACS)
$134K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Springfield 181
- Perkins 173
- Scotland 159
- Running Water 129
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bon Homme County, South Dakota?
479 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bon Homme County?
Hail, with 226 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bon Homme County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bon Homme County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bon Homme County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bon Homme County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bon Homme County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bon Homme County, South 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
- Bennett County 413
- Brookings County 509
- Beadle County 689
- Brown County 1,102
- Aurora County 305
- Brule County 385
Cite this page
“Bon Homme County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/bon-homme-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.