Spink County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 595 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #598 nationally and #16 in South Dakota.
595
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Spink County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Spink County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 203 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 519 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Spink County, South Dakota record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Spink County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 261 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 187 | 0 | $5K | 92 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 92 | 1 | $1.3M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Tornado | 43 | 1 | $178K | F2 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Spink 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
46 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 0 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 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-20 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Spink County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2022 | Flood | BRENTFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
On Friday, July 22nd, a 13-year-old girl was swept downstream while swimming in the James River near Frankfort. The search was postponed around 11:30 p.m. Friday due to the dangers of the current and the inability to see in the dark. The girl's body was found around 9:25 a.m. on Saturday.
The James River near Ashton, ATNS2, started the month in moderate flood stage at 15.42 feet, then steadily dropped through the month. It reached minor flood stage of <14 feet on June 12th, and then remained there through the rest of the month. Significant amounts of farm land were flooded, including crop and pasture land.
The James River near Ashton was initially in decline at the start of the month which lasted through May 4th, though a second crest was observed on May 17th at 16.71 feet, followed again by a steady decline that lasted through the end of May. With this May crest, the main impact is to agricultural lands, however a bridge near the gauge site has been under water for most of the month.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,219
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 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 |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 13, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tulare 135
- Ashton 114
- Redfield 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Spink County, South Dakota?
595 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Spink County?
Hail, with 261 recorded events — 43.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Spink County?
46 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 Spink County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Spink County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Spink County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Spink County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Spink 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
- Stanley County 429
- Sanborn County 323
- Sully County 278
- Roberts County 341
- Todd County 567
- Potter County 309
Cite this page
“Spink County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/spink-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.