Minnehaha County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 1,164 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #86 nationally and #3 in South Dakota.
1,164
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$79.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Minnehaha County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Minnehaha County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 16.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 351 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 174 events fall before 1990 and 990 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Minnehaha County, South Dakota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $32.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Minnehaha County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 494 | 0 | $32.5M | 4.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 374 | 5 | $6.6M | F0 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 157 | 0 | $8.2M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $17.2M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Tornado | 46 | 0 | $14.7M | F3 | 1956–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2018 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $175K | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Minnehaha 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
51 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-07 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 54.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Minnehaha County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 7, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dell Rapids and | 1 | 1 | $500K |
| May 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | COLTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | SIOUX FALLS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2003 | Tornado | PUMPKIN CENTER | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Jul 31, 2008 | Lightning | EAST SIOUX FALLS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTH SIOUX FALLS | 0 | 1 | $750K |
| Sep 1, 2013 | Hail | SOUTH SIOUX FALLS | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
High winds destroyed several farm buildings in the Baltic and Dell Rapids area. There were also numerous reports of funnel clouds in the area. The storm was blamed for a two vehicle crash on a road west of Interstate 29 killing one driver and injuring the other. Roads were closed afterwards because of flooding caused by the torrential rains. (M51V)
A thunderstorm wind gust of 81 mph was measured by South Dakota State University mesonet site CTNS2 2 miles east-southeast of Colton. Wind-driven debris went through the windshield of a vehicle and caused the (direct) fatality to the passenger near Colton.
Rainfall of 3 to 8 inches caused flooding of numerous basements. Structural damaged was caused to several of the basements as walls caved in. Ground floors of several residences, businesses, and schools were flooded, including a dentists office. There was significant damage to contents in the flooded buildings, including carpets, furniture, clothing, electronic equipment, and electric wiring. A mobile home park was especially hard hit, with all 37 units in the park flooded, and some units completely washed out. Many roads were flooded, and several were partly washed out, mainly at intersections. One parking lot caved in, with a driver barely escaping in his vehicle. Water and sewer lines were damaged during the cave-ins of the lot and of the basements. Several vehicles were damaged by flooding. Several parks in the city were flooded and closed, as was the zoo.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
203,289
Population (ACS)
$288K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sioux Falls 282
- South Sioux Falls 154
- Renner 148
- Ellis 116
- Dell Rapids 106
- Brandon 105
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Minnehaha County, South Dakota?
1,164 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $79.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Minnehaha County?
Hail, with 494 recorded events — 42.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Minnehaha County?
51 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Minnehaha County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Minnehaha County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Minnehaha County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Minnehaha County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Minnehaha 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
- Miner County 232
- Moody County 323
- Oglala Lakota County 676
- Mellette County 303
- Pennington County 2,406
- Meade County 1,584
Cite this page
“Minnehaha County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/minnehaha-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.