Gregory County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 400 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 61.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,255 nationally and #40 in South Dakota.
400
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$16.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Gregory County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gregory County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 151 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 362 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $10.8M 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 Gregory County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 246 | 0 | $3.0M | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $356K | 88 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $10.8M | F3 | 1952–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $635K | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Gregory 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
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-05-29 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 53.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gregory County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 7, 2019 | Tornado | BURKE | 0 | 2 | $7.0M |
| May 22, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 1, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250 | |
| Aug 9, 2002 | Hail | HERRICK | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado developed and touched down in the heart of town near Washington and 7th streets, causing damage to several trees at the touchdown point. Shortly after, the tornado severely damaged several structures while tracking south, including leveling several buildings at the lumber yard, destroying the civic center, and causing significant damage to the school. The start of the school year was delayed by two weeks due to extent of the damage. Two people were (directly) injured by debris when a garage collapsed on them while moving vehicles to safety. Numerous power transmission poles and lines were removed by the tornado. Around 2 miles south southeast of Burke, the tornado struck a residence causing severe damage to the roof. Shortly thereafter, the tornado lifted before reaching the intersection of 295th Street and 345th Avenue after traveling a bit less than 4 miles. The path width reached a maximum of 75 yards within the city of Burke. Up to 3000 trees were damaged by the tornado in and near Burke. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
Large hail, up to two inches in diameter, fell in a swath a few miles wide from northwestern to south central Gregory County. The hail broke numerous windows, severely damaged siding and roofs of homes and other buildings, and severely damaged vehicles, while covering the ground in several places. Property damage was especially severe in the town of Gregory. Crop damage was also severe along the swath, with corn crops in some areas destroyed to the point of only small stubble left.
A tornado destroyed a church, a county highway shop, several garages, several small sheds, a mobile home, a camper, and a ten thousand bushel silo. The church was ripped from its foundation, with debris and contents blown over a wide area. Tree damage includes uprooted trees, and power lines were blown down. A resulting power outage lasted for several hours. Windows in many homes and some businesses were broken. The Herrick Honey House was severely damaged, and a honey truck was tipped over. Holes were punched in the walls of some houses by flying debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,016
Population (ACS)
$140K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 18, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gregory County, South Dakota?
400 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $16.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gregory County?
Hail, with 246 recorded events — 61.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gregory County?
31 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 Gregory County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gregory County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gregory County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gregory County as very low risk, placing it in the 16 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gregory 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
- Grant County 281
- Haakon County 570
- Faulk County 366
- Hamlin County 375
- Fall River County 677
- Hand County 579
Cite this page
“Gregory County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/gregory-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.