195
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$6.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Lincoln County, South Dakota: 195 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #1,081 nationally and #22 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Lincoln County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Lincoln County is the 2020s, when 65 of the county's 195 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 Lincoln County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 33.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,081 for this hazard and #22 within South Dakota, putting it in the 65.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Lincoln County with 68 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2006 | TEA | 78 | 0 | 1 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2025 | BERESFORD | 57 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | BERESFORD | 63 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | HUDSON | 78 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | MOE | 65 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | HARRISBURG | 59 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | MOE | 74 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | MOE | 70 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | MOE | 74 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | MOE | 83 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | BERESFORD | 78 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lincoln County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including large trees blown down and stripped of bark. There was damage to several homes and other buildings directly from the wind, and from falling trees and tree debris. Sheet metal and an air conditioning unit were blown off the roof of a building under construction. Several vehicles were also damaged by tree debris. One large fallen tree blocked highway 77 one mile north of Beresford. At least two machine sheds and several outbuildings about two miles northeast of Beresford were destroyed, although two vehicles inside one of the machine sheds were undamaged. Power lines and poles were downed, resulting in power outages that affected all of Beresford. Some places did not regain power until late the next day.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread and severe tree, power line, and crop damage. The damage to power lines included several large transmission circuit structures one mile south of Tea being blown down along a half mile stretch. A resulting power outage lasted up to 4 hours and affected about 4,000 electrical customers. The tree damage included at least 3 trees, each 2 feet in diameter, being broken off 2 to 3 feet above the ground. One man's arm was broken when the winds tossed him and a garage door. The winds tore the roof off a paving business, destroyed several small sheds, and damaged several residential gardens. Several homes suffered minor roof and siding damage, some directly from the wind, and others from tree debris. The winds caused a semi truck to veer out of its lane and sideswipe a car on Interstate 29, after which the semi overturned. Several roads were blocked by tree debris.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Lincoln County, South Dakota?
195 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Lincoln County between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Lincoln County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Lincoln County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/lincoln-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.