Turner County, South Dakota severe weather history spans 423 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,161 nationally and #37 in South Dakota.
423
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$28.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Turner County, South Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Turner County, South Dakota severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 163 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 60 events fall before 1990 and 363 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Turner County, South Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $17.4M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Turner County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 193 | 0 | $1.3M | 5 | 1969–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $992K | 78 | 1964–2025 |
| Flood | 56 | 0 | $8.7M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 44 | 1 | $17.4M | F4 | 1954–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
Decade by decade
Turner 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: 39 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-06-07 | EF4 | 1 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-08-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Turner County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado heavily damaged or destroyed numerous structures at the county fairgrounds, uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power lines, resulting in power outages which lasted up to a day. The tornado damaged other structures in Parker including homes and the county courthouse. One home was shifted off its foundation and received broken windows and damaged siding. Some of the damage resulted from falling trees or wind blown debris.
A tornado destroyed small farm buildings, tore the roof off a barn, blew down trees, severely damaged at least two houses in Viborg, destroyed two garages, and damaged other structures including homes and a large propane tank.
A tornado, after crossing into Turner County from Lincoln County, heavily damaged farm buildings, including one farm home demolished, and roof and window damage to at least two other farm homes. The tornado also caused an unknown amount of crop damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,882
Population (ACS)
$223K
Median home value
26
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 |
| Sep 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Centerville 145
- Parker 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Turner County, South Dakota?
423 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $28.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Turner County?
Hail, with 193 recorded events — 45.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Turner County?
46 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Turner County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Turner County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Turner County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Turner County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Turner 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
- Tripp County 595
- Union County 491
- Todd County 567
- Walworth County 410
- Sully County 278
- Stanley County 429
Cite this page
“Turner County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/turner-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.