Tornadoes · United States · South Dakota

Tornadoes in Hand County, South Dakota

45 tornadoes have crossed Hand County since 1950, 13th of the 66 counties in South Dakota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 12. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
45
Deaths
1
Injuries
12
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 24, 2006

The deadliest in Hand County

  1. EF2, Hand County, South DakotaAugust 30, 20201 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Hand and Beadle counties, South DakotaAugust 24, 2006F3, 24.5 mi (39 km)
  2. F3, Hand County, South DakotaJuly 3, 1971F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  3. F2, Hand and Jerauld counties, South DakotaJuly 3, 1971F2, 20.1 mi (32 km)
  4. F2, Hand County, South DakotaAugust 24, 2006F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  5. F2, Hand County, South DakotaJuly 3, 1971F2, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  6. EF2, Hand County, South DakotaAugust 30, 2020EF2, 1.6 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Hand County, South DakotaSeptember 2, 1983F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Hand County, South DakotaSeptember 2, 1983F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Hand County, South DakotaJune 23, 1959F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Hand County, South DakotaMay 25, 1959F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hand County. Each year links to every tornado in South Dakota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF0
202011EF2
20183EF0
20173EF1
20142EF0
20131EF0
20112EF0
20092EF0
20081EF0
200632F3
20051F0
20031F0
19981F0
19941F0
19934F0
19852F1
19841F0
19832F2
19803F0
19781F1
19751F1
19741F1
19713F3
19651F0
1964110F1
19592F2

Every tornado that crossed Hand County

45 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 25, 20238:55 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
August 30, 20206:03 PM CDTEF2Hand1.63001
July 18, 20185:21 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
June 16, 20188:16 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
June 16, 20188:07 PM CDTEF0Hand0.410
June 13, 20174:32 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
June 13, 20174:25 PM CDTEF1Hand0.3175
June 13, 20174:16 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
June 18, 20147:00 PM CDTEF0Hand0.275
May 30, 20145:30 PM CDTEF0Hand3.650
June 21, 20131:58 PM CDTEF0Hand0.225
June 14, 20114:45 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
June 14, 20114:28 PM CDTEF0Hand0.210
June 16, 20093:55 PM CDTEF0Hand3.6100
June 16, 20092:09 PM CDTEF0Hand0.725
July 17, 20089:57 PM CDTEF0Hand0.110
August 24, 20066:28 PM CDTF3Hand24.55002$15 million
August 24, 20066:07 PM CDTF2Hand5.0300
June 24, 20067:35 PM CDTF0Hand0.510
August 17, 20055:47 PM CDTF0Hand0.010
June 24, 20038:30 PM CDTF0Hand0.125
June 17, 199810:30 PM CDTF0Hand0.230
June 4, 19946:58 PM CDTF0Hand10.010
July 18, 19938:20 PM CDTF0Hand0.120
June 7, 19933:07 PM CDTF0Hand0.130
June 7, 19932:55 PM CDTF0Hand0.130
June 7, 19932:46 PM CDTF0Hand0.130
August 22, 198510:00 PM CDTF1Hand0.220$500 to $5,000
August 3, 19855:05 PM CDTF0Hand0.110
June 22, 19847:30 PM CDTF0Hand0.110
September 2, 19835:15 PM CDTF2Hand0.210$5,000 to $50,000
September 2, 19834:45 PM CDTF2Hand0.210$500 to $5,000
June 5, 19809:55 PM CDTF0Hand0.110
June 5, 19809:55 PM CDTF0Hand0.110
June 5, 19809:55 PM CDTF0Hand0.110
June 15, 19787:30 PM CDTF1Hand0.110$50,000 to $500,000
June 3, 19757:30 PM CDTF1Jerauld2.010$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19746:07 PM CDTF1Hand0.510
July 3, 19717:15 PM CDTF3Hand0.187$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19717:10 PM CDTF2Hand2.3100$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19717:00 PM CDTF2Hand20.130
May 14, 19656:35 PM GMT-5F0Hand0.110
June 18, 196411:00 AM GMT-5F1Hand11.11010$500,000 to $5 million
June 23, 19597:15 PM GMT-5F2Hand0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 195912:20 AM GMT-5F2Hand0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Hand CountyThe forecast for Hand CountyThe live radar over Hand CountyEvery county in South Dakota

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.