NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ellsworth Afb, 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 Ellsworth Afb, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ellsworth Afb
The strongest of the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 11, 1991; its path came within 8 miles. Of the 44, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2023. Of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ellsworth Afb. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 463 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ellsworth Afb has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 61 South Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ellsworth Afb
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1991 | F3 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 13, 2016 | EF2 | 16 mi | 7.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2015 | EF2 | 18 mi | 19.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1991 | F2 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1967 | F2 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 23, 1966 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 27, 2014 | EF1 | 24 mi | 2.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1991 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1983 | F1 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1983 | F1 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1979 | F1 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1975 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ellsworth Afb
The Storm Prediction Center has 463 hail reports within 10 miles of Ellsworth Afb since 1955, made on 247 separate days. Of these, 321 were 1 inch across or larger, and 49 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 6, 1977. The most recent report is from July 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 152.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ellsworth Afb
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rapid City Regional Airport, SD, 7 miles south of Ellsworth Afb at 3,160 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 13°F. May is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 17.6 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.5 inches a year, most of it in April. That 17.6 inches is more than at 1 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (2%). Rapid City, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Rapid City WFO, SD): 20.0 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 13 | 0.3 | 1 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 38 | 14 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 48 | 23 | 0.9 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 57 | 31 | 2.1 | 5 | 10.1 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Jun | 78 | 52 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 59 | 2.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 56 | 1.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 46 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 60 | 34 | 1.4 | 3 | 3.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 22 | 0.5 | 1 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 37 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 | 6.7 |
| Year | 60 | 34 | 17.6 | 41 | 48.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rapid City Regional Airport, SD (3,160 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 Ellsworth Afb
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 278 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ellsworth Afb: 240 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 12 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 114 mph, on August 6, 1999. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Ellsworth Afb.
August 9, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ellsworth Afb — 1 injured.
August 8, 2016: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Ellsworth Afb — 1 injured.
August 8, 2016: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Ellsworth Afb — 1 injured.
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
Meade County, which includes Ellsworth Afb, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Meade County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, 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 $21.7 million a year, the 8th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.5 million (44%), 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 Ellsworth Afb
- Box Elder, SD2 mi
- Rapid City, SD10 mi
- Black Hawk, SD12 mi
- Piedmont, SD14 mi
- Hermosa, SD24 mi
- Sturgis, SD26 mi
- Whitewood, SD35 mi
- Custer, SD37 mi
- Lead, SD39 mi
- Spearfish, SD46 mi
- Hot Springs, SD55 mi
- Belle Fourche, SD57 mi
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