Lawrence County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 703 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 75.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #398 nationally and #8 in South Dakota.
703
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$19.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Lawrence County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lawrence County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 9.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 271 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 53 events fall before 1990 and 650 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lawrence County, South Dakota record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $9.5M 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 Lawrence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 533 | 0 | $7.8M | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $9.5M | 95 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $281K | F3 | 1953–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $1.2M | 3 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 1998–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2013 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2001 |
Decade by decade
Lawrence 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
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lawrence County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2015 | Lightning | SPEARFISH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPEARFISH | 0 | 6 | $9.5M |
| Jun 7, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHEYENNE CROSSING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain caused flooding in Whitewood and Spearfish. Water covered Highway 85 south of Interstate 90. Flooding was observed along Whitewood Creek, False Bottom Creek, Bear Butte Creek, Spearfish Creek, and their tributaries.
Flash flooding occurred along Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon near the Boulder Canyon Golf Club. A landslide occurred on Galena Road and culverts were blocked by water and debris. Ruby Flats Road and Englewood Road were flooded, as well as a portion of Two Bit Road and Yellow Creek Road.
Redwater River, Spearfish Creek, False Bottom Creek, and other streams in the Spearfish area experienced flooding. Minor flooding occurred in the Spearfish City Park. Red Hill Road at Crow Creek, Sanford Road into Beulah, and Homestake Road at the Bear Creek Bridge were flooded and several culverts were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,233
Population (ACS)
$347K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 7, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 8, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 28, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADO, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Spearfish 218
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lawrence County, South Dakota?
703 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $19.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lawrence County?
Hail, with 533 recorded events — 75.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lawrence County?
21 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 Lawrence County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lawrence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lawrence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lawrence County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lawrence 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
- Lake County 334
- Lincoln County 591
- Kingsbury County 383
- Lyman County 605
- Jones County 290
- McCook County 391
Cite this page
“Lawrence County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/lawrence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.