Tornadoes · United States · South Dakota
Tornadoes in Minnehaha County, South Dakota
54 tornadoes have crossed Minnehaha County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 3rd of the 66 counties in South Dakota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 9. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 54
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 9
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- F4, June 7, 1993
The strongest
- F4, Minnehaha and Brookings counties, South DakotaJune 7, 1993
- F2, Lyon and Minnehaha counties, Iowa and South DakotaMay 7, 1993
- F2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaMay 12, 1962
- F2, Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, South DakotaJune 22, 1964
- F2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaJune 16, 1992
- F2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaJuly 11, 1987
- EF2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaJune 17, 2014
- EF2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaJune 5, 2008
- EF2, Minnehaha County, South DakotaSeptember 10, 2019
- F2, Lake and Minnehaha counties, South DakotaJune 10, 1957
Every year with a tornado
The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Minnehaha County. Each year links to every tornado in South Dakota that year.
Every tornado that crossed Minnehaha County
54 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than South Dakota. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2026 | 5:17 PM CDT | Unrated | Rock to SD | 3.5 | 40 | |||
| May 31, 2026 | 8:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| May 30, 2022 | 2:05 AM CDT | EF1 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| May 30, 2022 | 1:51 AM CDT | EF1 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| September 10, 2019 | 11:28 PM CDT | EF2 | Minnehaha | 0.7 | 75 | $3.0 million | ||
| July 18, 2019 | 5:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 0.4 | 5 | $2,000 | ||
| July 30, 2018 | 5:26 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| July 30, 2018 | 5:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 17, 2014 | 10:44 PM CDT | EF2 | Minnehaha | 3.4 | 400 | $100,000 | ||
| June 5, 2014 | 2:14 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| June 5, 2008 | 8:42 PM CDT | EF2 | Minnehaha | 2.6 | 100 | |||
| June 5, 2008 | 8:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Minnehaha | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| September 16, 2006 | 4:54 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 1.8 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| June 24, 2003 | 10:34 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| June 24, 2003 | 10:05 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 1.7 | 100 | $2.5 million | ||
| June 24, 2003 | 9:50 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.6 | 100 | 3 | $500,000 | |
| July 27, 2001 | 7:43 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 1.0 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| June 12, 2001 | 10:19 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 12, 2001 | 7:41 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 12, 2001 | 7:12 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| July 11, 2000 | 6:56 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| October 29, 1996 | 1:40 PM CST | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| August 6, 1996 | 7:26 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| April 25, 1994 | 6:15 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 25, 1994 | 6:10 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 25, 1994 | 6:10 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 7, 1993 | 4:30 PM CDT | F4 | Minnehaha | 54.0 | 800 | 5 | $5 million to $50 million | |
| May 7, 1993 | 3:57 PM CDT | F2 | Lyon to SD | 11.5 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 7, 1993 | 3:06 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 5.0 | 50 | |||
| June 28, 1992 | 6:30 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 13 | |||
| June 16, 1992 | 9:00 PM CDT | F2 | Minnehaha | 5.0 | 50 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| July 17, 1989 | 7:05 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.3 | 30 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| July 11, 1987 | 4:02 AM CDT | F2 | Minnehaha | 5.0 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| August 9, 1986 | 5:59 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| August 9, 1986 | 5:57 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| August 4, 1982 | 3:15 AM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| June 19, 1979 | 6:00 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19, 1979 | 5:10 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| July 4, 1978 | 9:40 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| August 17, 1974 | 7:00 AM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 2, 1973 | 10:30 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 40 | |||
| July 1, 1973 | 8:35 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.5 | 67 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 15, 1970 | 10:49 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 15, 1970 | 10:30 PM CDT | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 24, 1965 | 4:15 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 24, 1965 | 4:15 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 22, 1964 | 2:45 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Minnehaha | 10.0 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| July 4, 1962 | 3:30 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 21, 1962 | 10:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 12, 1962 | 12:45 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Minnehaha | 10.1 | 880 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 6, 1961 | 5:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 10, 1957 | 2:40 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Lake | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| August 8, 1956 | 3:45 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| August 4, 1956 | 5:55 AM GMT-5 | F0 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Minnehaha CountyThe forecast for Minnehaha CountyThe live radar over Minnehaha 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.