NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lennox, 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 Lennox, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 153 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 153
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Lennox
The strongest of the 153 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1965; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on July 14, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 153, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 64. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Lennox has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lennox.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lennox
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s11
- 2000s62
- 1990s19
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s17(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 7.8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1981 | F3 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1978 | F3 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1954 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1954 | F3 | 18 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1970 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 13 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 17, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2003 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 153, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lennox
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Lennox since 1959, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 18, 2004. The most recent report is from July 23, 2025. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lennox
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canton, SD, 15 miles east of Lennox at 1,316 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 28.1 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 28.1 inches is more than at 36 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (84%). Tea, 7 miles north, has its own station (Sioux Falls, SD): 27.8 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 31 | 11 | 0.8 | 3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 22 | 1.3 | 3 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.8 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.2 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 44 | 23 | 1.2 | 3 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 29 | 11 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Year | 56 | 35 | 28.1 | 53 | 36.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canton, SD (1,316 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 Lennox
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lennox: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 13 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 28, 2021. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than Lennox.
August 18, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lennox — 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
August 28, 2021: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Lennox — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Most of the rubber roof liner on the section of Lennox High School with the band and shop classrooms was removed by thunderstorm winds. Interior ceilings and equipment incurred water damage.”
July 23, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Lennox — $1.0 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
Lincoln County, which includes Lennox, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Lincoln County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.7 million a year, the 2nd highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (42%), is from tornadoes.
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 Lennox
- Tea, SD7 mi
- Harrisburg, SD11 mi
- Parker, SD14 mi
- Sioux Falls, SD14 mi
- Canton, SD14 mi
- Hartford, SD19 mi
- Beresford, SD20 mi
- Brandon, SD22 mi
- Larchwood, IA23 mi
- Baltic, SD27 mi
- Rock Valley, IA30 mi
- Freeman, SD30 mi
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