Buffalo County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 179 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,557 nationally and #66 in South Dakota.
179
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$25.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Buffalo County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Buffalo County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 149 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Buffalo County, South Dakota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $25.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Buffalo County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 66 | 1 | $0 | 87 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $25.0M | F3 | 1955–2014 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $17K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $159K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2025 |
Decade by decade
Buffalo 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
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Buffalo County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | FT THOMPSON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25.0M | |
| May 8, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado developed in Buffalo county and grew in size to approximately a quarter mile wide as it tracked northeast in open country. The tornado tracked two miles before dissipating near the Hand county line. The tornado did hit a shelter belt causing tree damage with several softwood trees uprooted along with large branches broken.
Very heavy rains of up to 7 inches brought flash flooding across Buffalo County. BIA Highway 4 was closed from Highway 50 to Fort Thompson. Several roads were washed out. Some evacuations took place. Several homes were also flooded near the casino.
Widespread flooding from very heavy rains continued across much of Buffalo county throughout May 6th. Many roads and some homes were flooded with damage resulting. Buffalo county was a declared a disaster area by President Bush.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,808
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 30, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Gann Vly 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Buffalo County, South Dakota?
179 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $25.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Buffalo County?
Hail, with 81 recorded events — 45.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Buffalo County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Buffalo County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Buffalo County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Buffalo County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Buffalo County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Buffalo 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
- Brule County 385
- Butte County 678
- Brown County 1,102
- Campbell County 276
- Brookings County 509
- Charles Mix County 590
Cite this page
“Buffalo County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/buffalo-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.