NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dakota Dunes, 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 Dakota Dunes, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Dakota Dunes
The highest rating among the 111 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 16, 2014, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on June 18, 1973, killed 2 people. Of the 111, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 16, 2024. Dakota Dunes has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 193 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Dakota Dunes has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 61 South Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dakota Dunes
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s15(3 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s22(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 20 mi | 15.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 24 mi | 24.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 23 mi | 18.34 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 28, 1986 | F4 | 7 mi | 52.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 17, 1954 | F3 | 25 mi | 23.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1994 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1979 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 14, 1967 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 8, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | 4 mi | 67 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 18, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dakota Dunes
The Storm Prediction Center has 193 hail reports within 10 miles of Dakota Dunes since 1955, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 102 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 29, 2017. The most recent report is from June 28, 2025. June has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dakota Dunes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sioux City Gateway Airport, IA, 11 miles southeast of Dakota Dunes at 1,095 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 29.5 inches over 55 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 29.5 inches is more than at 40 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (93%). Hinton, IA, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Le Mars, IA): 30.0 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 10 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.7 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 1.8 | 4 | 5.7 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 2.3 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 38 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 47 | 25 | 1.3 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 29.5 | 55 | 36.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sioux City Gateway Airport, IA (1,095 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 Dakota Dunes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 236 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dakota Dunes: 151 thunderstorm wind reports, 57 floods, 26 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $26.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on August 2, 2001. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 26. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 54 have had fewer than Dakota Dunes.
July 20, 2008: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Dakota Dunes — 1 injured, $5.0 million damage.
August 2, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Dakota Dunes — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. A large tree was blown onto a car, causing a minor injury to the occupant.”
July 16, 1996: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Dakota Dunes — $6.0 million 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 Dakota Dunes's ZIP code 57049 have filed 362 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $5.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2011: 311 claims (86% of all) and $4.0 million. 88% 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, 25 have fewer than Dakota Dunes.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2011 | 311 | $4.0 million |
Union County, which includes Dakota Dunes, 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 Dakota Dunes
- South Sioux City, NE6 mi
- Sioux City, IA6 mi
- Dakota City, NE8 mi
- Sergeant Bluff, IA13 mi
- Hinton, IA15 mi
- Elk Point, SD17 mi
- Akron, IA20 mi
- Moville, IA23 mi
- Le Mars, IA25 mi
- Kingsley, IA27 mi
- Vermillion, SD30 mi
- Hawarden, IA33 mi
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