NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hot Springs, 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 Hot Springs, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 32 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 32
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Hot Springs
The highest rating among the 32 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 22, 2012, came within 22 miles. Of the 32, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 11 each. The most recent tornado was on May 23, 2021. Of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hot Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 167 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Hot Springs has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 61 South Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hot Springs
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s14
- 1980s4
- 1970s3
- 1960s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 16.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1983 | F2 | 21 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1982 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 14, 1969 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1966 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1961 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2021 | EF1 | 19 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2005 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1998 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 24, 1998 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 1991 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 32, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hot Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 167 hail reports within 10 miles of Hot Springs since 1959, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 125 were 1 inch across or larger, and 23 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 24, 2010. The most recent report is from August 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hot Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hot Springs, SD, 3 miles northeast of Hot Springs at 3,560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 3.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and November the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 18.7 inches over 43 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 18.7 inches is more than at 4 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (9%). Custer, 28 miles north, has its own station (Custer, SD): 20.7 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 14 | 0.4 | 2 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 43 | 15 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.3 |
| Mar | 54 | 24 | 1.1 | 3 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 31 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.7 |
| May | 70 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 81 | 51 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 57 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 55 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 45 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 65 | 33 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.7 |
| Nov | 51 | 23 | 0.4 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Dec | 41 | 15 | 0.5 | 2 | 5.5 |
| Year | 63 | 34 | 18.7 | 43 | 32.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hot Springs, SD (3,560 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 Hot Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hot Springs: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 17, 1999. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Hot Springs.
July 20, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — 1 killed.
NWS: “Wind gusts over Coldbrook Reservoir capsized a kayak, causing the occupant to drown.”
July 29, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Strong winds damaged fences, signs, and buildings in Hot Springs and blew down trees and power poles. Buildings and automobiles were damaged by fallen trees.”
May 22, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Runoff from heavy rain caused overland flooding east of Hot Springs and south of Buffalo Gap, with flooding along Hat Creek around Ardmore and Horsehead Creek around Oelrichs. Several county roads west of Oelrichs and a road along Beaver Creek south of Buffalo Gap had to be closed.”
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
Fall River County, which includes Hot Springs, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1997, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Straight-Line Winds, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fall River County a Very 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 $6.8 million a year, the 37th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (51%), 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 Hot Springs
- Custer, SD28 mi
- Hermosa, SD35 mi
- Oglala, SD38 mi
- Rapid City, SD48 mi
- Chadron, NE48 mi
- Newcastle, WY52 mi
- Pine Ridge, SD53 mi
- Black Hawk, SD54 mi
- Box Elder, SD54 mi
- Ellsworth Afb, SD55 mi
- Piedmont, SD58 mi
- Lead, SD65 mi
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