NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Beresford, SD
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Beresford, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 149 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 149
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Beresford
The strongest of the 149 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1965; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on July 14, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 149, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 63. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Beresford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 81 times since 1973, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Beresford.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Beresford
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s5
- 2000s63
- 1990s19
- 1980s21(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s16(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1965 | F4 | 18 mi | 7.8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1981 | F3 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1978 | F3 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 7, 1965 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1954 | F3 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1970 | F2 | 5 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 30, 1959 | F2 | 24 mi | 26.8 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 1, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 12.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2003 | F2 | 12 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2003 | F2 | 10 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 6 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 149, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Beresford
The Storm Prediction Center has 81 hail reports within 10 miles of Beresford since 1973, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on August 3, 1981. The most recent report is from April 28, 2025. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Beresford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Centerville 6 SE, SD, 6 miles west of Beresford at 1,276 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 26.9 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 26.9 inches is more than at 34 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (79%). Hawarden, IA, 17 miles east, has its own station (Hawarden, IA): 30.0 inches a year, 3.1 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 7 | 0.4 | 1 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 32 | 11 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 45 | 23 | 1.4 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 59 | 34 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.9 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 36 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 45 | 23 | 1.2 | 3 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 31 | 12 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Year | 58 | 35 | 26.9 | 52 | 30.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Centerville 6 SE, SD (1,276 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Beresford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Beresford: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods and 5 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $43.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on July 28, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Beresford.
June 20, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Beresford — 1 killed, $12.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts across Lincoln County from June 20-22 ranged from 6 to 14 inches with at least two locations reporting amounts in excess of 17 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued with additional record flooding along the Big Sioux River.”
June 1, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Beresford — $26.4 million damage.
NWS: “During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.”
March 13, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Beresford — $3.1 million damage.
NWS: “A majority of county and township roads were inundated by water. Especially hard hit were gravel roads just south of Sioux Falls.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Union County, which includes Beresford, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on August 15, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (52%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Beresford
- Hawarden, IA17 mi
- Canton, SD18 mi
- Vermillion, SD19 mi
- Lennox, SD20 mi
- Akron, IA23 mi
- Elk Point, SD24 mi
- Rock Valley, IA25 mi
- Harrisburg, SD25 mi
- Tea, SD26 mi
- Parker, SD29 mi
- Sioux Center, IA30 mi
- Larchwood, IA32 mi
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