126
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in McCook County, South Dakota: 126 recorded events between 1969 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 109. That places the county #1,848 nationally and #45 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in McCook County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in McCook County is the 2000s, when 50 of the county's 126 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 McCook County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 32.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,848 for this hazard and #45 within South Dakota, putting it in the 41.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in McCook County with 45 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 12, 2024 | SALEM | 65 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 29, 1991 | 60 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 10, 2005 | SALEM | 61 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2025 | STANLEY CORNER | 58 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | BRIDGEWATER | 65 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | CANISTOTA | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | MONTROSE | 51 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | UNITYVILLE | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2025 | MONTROSE | 54 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2024 | SALEM | 65 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | MONTROSE | 63 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | MONTROSE | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | CANISTOTA | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McCook County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds blew the press box off the grandstand at an athletic complex, damaged a crow's nest at the complex, and tore the roof off a mobile home. The winds also caused extensive tree damage with several trees blown down. The winds caused power line damage, resulting in a power outage. Crops in the area were damaged, especially corn, but the amount of damage was not known. Several vehicles were damaged by flying debris and windows on some buildings were broken.
Thunderstorm winds damaged numerous homes and other structures, as well as trees and power lines. Roofs were blown off a seed company building, a lumber yard building, and a large machine shed. Additional damage was done to these buildings and others. Shingles were blown off several roofs. The grandstand and one dugout at a ball park was destroyed, and the other dugout, the lights, and the outfield fence were damaged. Debris from the ball park was blown into a yard a block and a half away. Several vehicles were damaged, including windows blown out or knocked out by debris.
Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and blew down power lines in Salem, causing a power outage in Salem. The winds also caused heavy damage at two farmsteads east northeast of Salem. In addition to tree damage, at least four silos, three grain bins and four machine sheds were destroyed, and four augers, a grain cart, and a grain dryer were damaged. Two surviving trees stopped one destroyed grain bin from slamming into the house on one farmstead, while the house on another farmstead suffered minor damage from debris, including a piece of lumber from one machine shed blown into the roof.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in McCook County, South Dakota?
126 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in McCook County between 1969 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in McCook County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in McCook County measured 109.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for McCook 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 McCook County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/mccook-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.