Tornadoes · United States · South Dakota

Tornadoes in Kingsbury County, South Dakota

48 tornadoes have crossed Kingsbury County since 1950, 9th of the 66 counties in South Dakota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 11. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
48
Deaths
1
Injuries
11
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 24, 2003

The deadliest in Kingsbury County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Kingsbury County. Each year links to every tornado in South Dakota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20232Unrated
20222EF1
20202EF1
20132EF0
20071EF0
20062F1
2003114F4
20022F0
20002F0
19981F0
19974F0
19931F1
19922F3
19911F0
19853F0
19841F1
19771F1
19761F1
19711F0
19701F0
19671F1
19661F1
19621F1
1961117F3
19591F0

Every tornado that crossed Kingsbury County

48 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 10, 20238:10 PM CDTUnratedKingsbury1.125
August 10, 20237:41 PM CDTUnratedKingsbury0.625
June 20, 20229:44 PM CDTUnratedKingsbury0.010
June 20, 20229:30 PM CDTEF1Kingsbury3.650
August 28, 20201:27 AM CDTEF1Kingsbury0.625$75,000
August 28, 20201:26 AM CDTUnratedKingsbury0.425
June 21, 20133:10 PM CDTEF0Kingsbury0.150
June 21, 20133:03 PM CDTEF0Kingsbury0.150
April 21, 20078:56 PM CDTEF0Kingsbury0.250
August 24, 20067:56 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
May 2, 20066:19 PM CDTF1Kingsbury2.1100$50,000
June 24, 200310:13 PM CDTF1Kingsbury0.7100
June 24, 20038:32 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
June 24, 20038:28 PM CDTF1Kingsbury1.5300
June 24, 20038:20 PM CDTF1Kingsbury0.7100
June 24, 20038:19 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
June 24, 20038:17 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
June 24, 20038:05 PM CDTF1Kingsbury0.7100
June 24, 20037:58 PM CDTF2Kingsbury2.2200$200,000
June 24, 20037:52 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
June 24, 20037:29 PM CDTF4Manchester tornado10.01,0004$3.0 million
June 24, 20037:27 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.4100
July 28, 20021:55 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.1100$10,000
July 28, 20021:41 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.350
July 11, 20005:36 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
July 11, 20005:16 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
May 30, 19988:02 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
July 24, 199711:45 PM CDTF0Kingsbury2.0100
July 24, 199711:30 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150$2,000
July 24, 199710:10 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
July 24, 19979:46 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.150
July 18, 19939:40 PM CDTF1Kingsbury3.030$5,000 to $50,000
June 16, 19924:37 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
June 16, 19924:35 PM CDTF3Kingsbury4.0100$500,000 to $5 million
June 14, 19918:25 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
May 11, 19857:40 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
May 11, 19857:08 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
May 11, 19856:46 PM CDTF0Miner5.010
June 5, 198411:20 PM CDTF1Kingsbury0.110$500 to $5,000
September 24, 19774:00 PM CDTF1Kingsbury21.320$50,000 to $500,000
July 19, 19766:30 PM CDTF1Kingsbury1.910$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19719:05 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
May 30, 197011:15 PM CDTF0Kingsbury0.110
April 30, 19674:15 PM GMT-5F1Kingsbury0.110
August 14, 19669:00 PM GMT-5F1Kingsbury6.610$500 to $5,000
May 16, 19629:00 PM GMT-5F1Kingsbury0.110
June 21, 19613:30 PM GMT-5F3Brown156.31017$500 to $5,000
June 16, 195911:00 PM GMT-5F0Kingsbury0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Kingsbury CountyThe forecast for Kingsbury CountyThe live radar over Kingsbury 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.