NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Freeman, 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 Freeman, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Freeman
The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1965; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 98, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on July 31, 2024. Freeman has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Freeman.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Freeman
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4
- 2000s24
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s18(4 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1965 | F4 | 17 mi | 7.8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F3 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1981 | F3 | 17 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1965 | F3 | 3 mi | 35.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1965 | F3 | 15 mi | 15.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2006 | F2 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2003 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2003 | F2 | 25 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Freeman
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Freeman since 1957, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 28, 2011. The most recent report is from July 7, 2025. June and August have the most reports, 16 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Freeman
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Menno, SD, 9 miles southwest of Freeman at 1,332 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 25.1 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 25.1 inches is more than at 26 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (60%). Parker, 18 miles east, has its own station (Sioux Falls, SD): 27.8 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 34 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 47 | 25 | 1.3 | 3 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.0 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 45 | 25 | 1.0 | 2 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 32 | 14 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.8 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 25.1 | 51 | 39.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Menno, SD (1,332 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 Freeman
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Freeman: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 17, 2026.
April 10, 2005: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Freeman — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage in Menno. Numerous trees including several large trees were uprooted.”
June 24, 2003: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Freeman — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several large trees blown down. Numerous roads were blocked by tree debris.”
July 3, 2003: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Freeman — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one large tree blown down and other large trees split. Numerous limbs and large branches were also blown down.”
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
Hutchinson County, which includes Freeman, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 floods, 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 Hutchinson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 12th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (27%), 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 Freeman
- Parker, SD18 mi
- Parkston, SD24 mi
- Lennox, SD30 mi
- Yankton, SD31 mi
- Hartford, SD32 mi
- Tea, SD32 mi
- Mitchell, SD38 mi
- Beresford, SD39 mi
- Crofton, NE39 mi
- Sioux Falls, SD39 mi
- Harrisburg, SD40 mi
- Springfield, SD40 mi
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