NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lake Andes, 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 Lake Andes, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 73
- 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 Lake Andes
The strongest of the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 29, 1962; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on June 24, 1973, killed 1 person. Of the 73, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Lake Andes has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lake Andes.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lake Andes
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s7
- 2000s10
- 1990s4
- 1980s16
- 1970s13
- 1960s21(5 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1962 | F4 | 13 mi | 24.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 11 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 19 mi | 70.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 53.8 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 24, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 15 mi | 16.16 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 28, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1971 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 29, 1954 | F2 | 11 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lake Andes
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Lake Andes since 1958, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently August 29, 2001. The most recent report is from July 7, 2025. June has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lake Andes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pickstown, SD, 5 miles south of Lake Andes at 1,490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 12°F. May is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 24.4 inches over 48 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 24.4 inches is more than at 24 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (56%). Wagner, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Wagner, SD): 26.5 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 12 | 0.5 | 1 | 5.7 |
| Feb | 37 | 15 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 48 | 24 | 1.1 | 3 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.2 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 64 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48 | 26 | 0.8 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 35 | 16 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.1 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 24.4 | 48 | 31.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pickstown, SD (1,490 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 Lake Andes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lake Andes: 41 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods, 7 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 2, 1999. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 29 have had fewer than Lake Andes.
July 5, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lake Andes — 2 killed.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind gusts caused a driver in the westbound lane of South Dakota Highway 46 between Pickstown and Wagner to lose control, cross over into the eastbound lane, and collide head-on with an oncoming car, which resulted in the indirect fatality to both drivers.”
June 12, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Lake Andes — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall of up to 6 inches caused widespread flash flooding of numerous roads, residences, fields, and other low areas, causing damage to and forcing evacuation of numerous residences. Many of the flooded roads were washed out.”
August 29, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Lake Andes — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds damaged trees and power lines, with numerous power poles reported down. Farm machinery and roofs were damaged, including a roof blown off a home.”
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
Charles Mix County, which includes Lake Andes, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 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 Charles Mix County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $13.2 million a year, the 17th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (32%), 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 Lake Andes
- Wagner, SD13 mi
- Platte, SD28 mi
- Parkston, SD33 mi
- Springfield, SD35 mi
- Oneill, NE44 mi
- Atkinson, NE45 mi
- Mitchell, SD46 mi
- Freeman, SD54 mi
- Crofton, NE57 mi
- Yankton, SD59 mi
- Chamberlain, SD59 mi
- Parker, SD72 mi
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