Corson County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 626 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #521 nationally and #14 in South Dakota.
626
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$408K
Property damage
The record
What the Corson County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Corson County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 8.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 229 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 41 events fall before 1990 and 585 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $253K 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 Corson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 310 | 0 | $50K | 3 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 235 | 0 | $55K | 97 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 36 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $253K | F2 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Corson 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
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Corson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| May 29, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail broke some windows and damaged crops, while strong winds demolished a shed and part of a catwalk and blew down numerous tree limbs and branches. The damage occurred on the edge of a swath that extended largely north of the northern border of South Dakota. Most of the damage in South Dakota occured in or near Lemmon.
Hail broke some windows and damaged crops, while strong winds demolished a shed and part of a catwalk and blew down numerous tree limbs and branches. The damage occurred on the edge of a swath that extended largely north of the northern border of South Dakota. Most of the damage in South Dakota occured in or near Lemmon.
Thunderstorm winds downed several tree branches at a residence 8 miles northwest of Kenel, SD which sits just south of the North Dakota state line. Another residence just over the border had siding removed by these strong winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,806
Population (ACS)
$70K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wakpala 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Corson County, South Dakota?
626 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $408K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Corson County?
Hail, with 310 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Corson County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Corson County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Corson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Corson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Corson County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Corson 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
- Codington County 523
- Custer County 974
- Clay County 383
- Davison County 467
- Clark County 426
- Day County 456
Cite this page
“Corson County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/corson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.