40
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$283K
Property damage
Tornado in Lyman County, South Dakota: 40 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #620 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lyman County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lyman County is the 1980s, when 21 of the county's 40 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 Lyman County archive, tornado makes up 6.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #12 within South Dakota, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Lyman County with 22 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-07-09 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-09 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-05 | EF2 | 1.2 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-04 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-07-25 | EF2 | 10.4 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-27 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-09 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-06 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-06 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-05 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1971 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2025 | OACOMA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2022 | LOWER BRULE | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | LOWER BRULE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2011 | PRESHO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | VIVIAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2003 | KENNEBEC | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2003 | RELIANCE | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2003 | KENNEBEC | F0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2002 | PRESHO | F0 | $0 |
| May 10, 1999 | RELIANCE | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lyman County
- Thunderstorm Wind 291
- Hail 234
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lyman County, South Dakota?
40 tornado events are recorded in Lyman County between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lyman County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lyman County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Lyman 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
“Tornado in Lyman County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/lyman-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.