Lincoln County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 591 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 34.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #613 nationally and #18 in South Dakota.
591
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$67.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 169 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 513 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lincoln County, South Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $37.3M 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 Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 201 | 0 | $4.0M | 2.75 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 195 | 0 | $6.4M | 100 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 87 | 1 | $17.6M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 59 | 2 | $37.3M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2021 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln 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
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 61 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-07-14 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 20, 2024 | Flood | BERESFORD | 1 | 0 | $12.0M |
| Jun 7, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Sep 11, 2019 | Tornado | TEA | 0 | 8 | $6.8M |
| Jun 29, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 18, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | TEA | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| May 7, 1993 | Tornado | Beresford | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 29, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down around one quarter mile east of the intersection of Interstates 29 and 229, near the intersection of 69th Street and Tallgrass Avenue. The tornado tracked east-northeast for a quarter mile before it struck a building under construction, causing extensive damage to concrete and metal framing, and tossed a construction truck 200 yards into a tree. The tornado then damaged the Avera Heart and Behavioral Hospital Complex, where cars were displaced up to 100 feet and most windows were broken along with roof and facade damage to the hospital buildings. Eight people were injured by flying glass on the hospital complex. The tornado lifted about 400 yards to the east of the hospital. Average path width was estimated at 40 yards. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
A majority of county and township roads were inundated by water. Especially hard hit were gravel roads just south of Sioux Falls. Highway 11 around 2 miles southeast of Harrisburg was inundated with water for several hours. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses.
Most of the rubber roof liner on the section of Lennox High School with the band and shop classrooms was removed by thunderstorm winds. Interior ceilings and equipment incurred water damage. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
70,638
Population (ACS)
$348K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 18, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 28, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Shindler 183
- Hudson 144
- Canton 127
- Sioux Falls 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, South Dakota?
591 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $67.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Hail, with 201 recorded events — 34.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 61 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Lawrence County 703
- Lyman County 605
- Lake County 334
- McCook County 391
- Kingsbury County 383
- McPherson County 386
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.