NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brookings, 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 Brookings, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Brookings
The strongest of the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1993; its path came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 21, 1961, killed 1 person. Of the 83, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on September 23, 2023. Brookings has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brookings.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Brookings
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s4
- 2000s13
- 1990s16(3 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1993 | F4 | 6 mi | 54 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 21, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 156.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jun 7, 1993 | F3 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F3 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1970 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 0.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1986 | F2 | 18 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1986 | F2 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1971 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1971 | F2 | 12 mi | 36.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1971 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1969 | F2 | 25 mi | 29.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brookings
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Brookings since 1961, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 18, 2012. The most recent report is from August 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brookings
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brookings 2 NE, SD, 1 mile northeast of Brookings at 1,639 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 4°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 25.3 inches over 49 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 25.3 inches is more than at 28 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (65%). Flandreau, 21 miles southeast, has its own station (Flandreau, SD): 28.5 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 4 | 0.4 | 1 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 27 | 7 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 39 | 20 | 1.1 | 3 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 54 | 32 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.1 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 34 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 41 | 22 | 0.8 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 28 | 10 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.8 |
| Year | 54 | 33 | 25.3 | 49 | 35.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brookings 2 NE, SD (1,639 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 Brookings
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 171 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brookings: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 65 floods, 22 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 12, 2022. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 22. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 53 have had fewer than Brookings.
July 1, 2005: flood 7 miles from the centre of Brookings — $7.6 million damage.
September 12, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Brookings — $666,000 damage.
September 22, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Brookings — $500,000 damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Brookings's ZIP code 57006 have filed 67 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $732,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 12 claims (18% of all) and $167,000. 24% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 28 South Dakota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 20 have fewer than Brookings.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 12 | $167,000 |
Brookings County, which includes Brookings, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm, on February 27, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Brookings County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.8 million a year, the 6th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 million (39%), 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 Brookings
- Volga, SD8 mi
- Flandreau, SD21 mi
- Madison, SD28 mi
- Pipestone, MN31 mi
- Dell Rapids, SD33 mi
- Canby, MN38 mi
- Baltic, SD40 mi
- Garretson, SD42 mi
- Minneota, MN44 mi
- Watertown, SD45 mi
- Hartford, SD49 mi
- Brandon, SD51 mi
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