NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mission, 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 Mission, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 58
- 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 Mission
The highest rating among the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 9 times; the most recent, on May 22, 2016, came within 17 miles. Of the 58, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 20, 2025. Of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mission. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mission.
Compare Mission's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Mission
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s3
- 2000s6
- 1990s21
- 1980s5
- 1970s11
- 1960s7
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2016 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 1979 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 20.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1974 | F2 | 10 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1973 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1971 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 4, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1961 | F2 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1953 | F2 | 22 mi | 80 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2025 | EF1 | 20 mi | 13.75 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 1, 1998 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1990 | F1 | 2 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mission
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Mission since 1956, made on 49 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 3 days, most recently June 16, 2011. The most recent report is from June 12, 2025. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mission
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mission, SD, 5 miles north of Mission at 2,587 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 21.1 inches over 45 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 165 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 21.1 inches is more than at 14 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (33%). Winner, 34 miles east, has its own station (Winner, SD): 23.0 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 12 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 38 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 48 | 23 | 1.1 | 3 | 7.1 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 2.5 | 5 | 5.7 |
| May | 68 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 61 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 59 | 1.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 48 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 35 | 1.7 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 23 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 37 | 14 | 0.6 | 1 | 6.6 |
| Year | 60 | 35 | 21.1 | 45 | 41.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mission, SD (2,587 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 Mission
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mission: 75 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $495,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 97 mph, on July 10, 2020.
March 23, 2019: flood 6 miles from the centre of Mission — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “During the early morning of March 23, Hidden Timber Dam along Antelope Creek failed, most likely from being overtopped by the excessive runoff from melted snow on frozen ground. As the water made its way downstream, it flooded several roads along Antelope Creek and the Keya Paha River.”
September 17, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Mission — $100,000 damage.
June 30, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Mission — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Winds knocked down power poles and damaged small buildings.”
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
Todd County, which includes Mission, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm, on February 27, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Todd County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.2 million a year, the 39th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 million (29%), 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 Mission
- Rosebud, SD13 mi
- Winner, SD34 mi
- Valentine, NE36 mi
- Martin, SD51 mi
- Ainsworth, NE62 mi
- Fort Pierre, SD76 mi
- Chamberlain, SD77 mi
- Kyle, SD78 mi
- Gordon, NE83 mi
- Pierre, SD84 mi
- Platte, SD89 mi
- Atkinson, NE98 mi
All South Dakota cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Mission with another place →