46
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Meade County, South Dakota: 46 recorded events between 1965 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #455 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Meade County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Meade County is the 1990s, when 16 of the county's 46 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 Meade County archive, tornado makes up 2.9% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #455 for this hazard and #5 within South Dakota, putting it in the 84.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Meade County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-05-11 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-18 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-02 | EF2 | 4.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-19 | EF2 | 19.7 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-24 | EF2 | 22.3 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-12 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-11 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-21 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-26 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-06 | EF1 | 1.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1991 | F3 | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 1991 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jun 17, 1989 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2024 | MAURINE | EF2 | $30K |
| May 7, 2023 | ELLSWORTH AFB | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2016 | WHITE OWL | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2015 | HEREFORD | EF2 | $100K |
| Jun 19, 2014 | PLAINVIEW | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2014 | HOWES | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2010 | FAITH | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2010 | PLAINVIEW | EF2 | $100K |
| Jul 23, 2001 | FAITH | F0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2001 | FAITH | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Meade County
- Hail 871
- Thunderstorm Wind 603
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 south of Plainview and traveled more than 22 miles to (). It damaged a manufactured home shortly after it formed, tearing off its roof and blowing over its walls. It also destroyed an old, abandoned house and pole barn and tossed a combine, hay swather, and van.
A tornado developed about 17 miles west of Faith, just north of Highway 212. As the tornado moved southeast and crossed Highway 212, numerous power poles were downed and broken. Some trees were also snapped off near the trunk and large branches broken off of other trees in this area. Additional trees were downed further southeast, before the tornado dissipated. The tornado did not impact any buildings or property along its path. The tornado traveled about 4 miles and was rated an EF-2, with wind speeds as high as 118 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Meade County, South Dakota?
46 tornado events are recorded in Meade County between 1965 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Meade County?
The strongest tornado on record in Meade County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Meade 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 Meade County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/meade-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.