74
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Hanson County, South Dakota: 74 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #2,524 nationally and #65 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Hanson County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Hanson County is the 2000s, when 33 of the county's 74 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Hanson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 30.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,524 for this hazard and #65 within South Dakota, putting it in the 20.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Hanson County with 24 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 1997 | ALEXANDRIA | 78 | 0 | 3 | $1.2M |
| Jun 10, 2003 | FULTON | 69 | 0 | 2 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2025 | FULTON | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | ALEXANDRIA | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | FULTON | 63 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2025 | ALEXANDRIA | 51 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | ALEXANDRIA | 57 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2023 | ROCKPORT | 70 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2023 | ROCKPORT | 74 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2023 | ROCKPORT | 74 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2023 | ROCKPORT | 70 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | ALEXANDRIA | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hanson County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage to homes, trailers, barns, other structures, trees, and vehicles at the Oak Lane Hutterite colony south of Alexandria. Three people were injured when their trailer home was flipped and damaged.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage. Numerous large trees were blown down, two of which heavily damaged a car and the roof of a house. Extensive cleanup of trees and debris was needed. The downed power lines resulted in a power outage affecting much of Emery for four and a half hours.
A thunderstorm wind gust of 81 mph was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD502 4 miles east-northeast of Alexandria. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Hanson County, South Dakota?
74 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Hanson County between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Hanson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Hanson County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Hanson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Hanson County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/hanson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.