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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mitchell, 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 Mitchell, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
97

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

6 deaths in all

What the records show for Mitchell

The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 30, 1998; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 97, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on June 23, 2018. Mitchell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 136 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Mitchell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 61 South Dakota cities.

Compare Mitchell's storm record with another city →

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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Mitchell

By decade

  • 2010s5
  • 2000s25(2 EF3+)
  • 1990s24(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s13
  • 1970s11
  • 1960s11(3 EF3+)
  • 1950s8
Strongest tornadoes near Mitchell, South Dakota
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 30, 1998F418 mi14 mi6 / 150
May 5, 2007EF320 mi4 mi0 / 0
Jun 24, 2003F325 mi6 mi0 / 0
Jun 20, 1968F33 mi9.9 mi0 / 0
May 21, 1962F31 mi1 mi0 / 32
May 14, 1962F36 mi70.4 mi0 / 2
May 5, 2007EF221 mi10.5 mi0 / 0
Jun 24, 2003F210 mi6 mi0 / 0
May 30, 1998F211 mi6 mi0 / 0
Jun 7, 1993F217 mi9 mi0 / 0
Jun 7, 1993F225 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jun 16, 1992F221 mi0.5 mi0 / 1

The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Mitchell

The Storm Prediction Center has 136 hail reports within 10 miles of Mitchell since 1958, made on 78 separate days. Of these, 78 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 8, 2009. The most recent report is from July 30, 2024. August has the most reports, 36.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Mitchell since 2019 →

Weather by month in Mitchell

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mitchell Municipal Airport, SD, 4 miles north of Mitchell at 1,303 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 21.2 inches over 40 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. That 21.2 inches is more than at 15 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (35%). Parkston, 23 miles south, has its own station (Alexandria, SD): 25.2 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 87°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Mitchell Municipal Airport, SD
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan2990.41
Feb33130.41
Mar45240.92
Apr59352.14
May71483.26
Jun81593.56
Jul87642.45
Aug84613.15
Sep77512.34
Oct62381.84
Nov46240.61
Dec32140.52
Year593721.240

Averages for 1991–2020 at Mitchell Municipal Airport, SD (1,303 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.

South Dakota weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Mitchell

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 177 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mitchell: 114 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 floods, 16 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $9.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on August 5, 2000. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 49 have had fewer than Mitchell.

  • August 5, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Mitchell — 10 injured, $8.0 million damage.

    NWS: “A wet microburst with winds estimated at 120 mph caused heavy damage in and around Mitchell. Apartments and several mobile homes were destroyed, vehicles were overturned, and other damage occurred to buildings and vehicles.”

  • June 20, 1997: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Mitchell — 5 injured, $500,000 damage.

  • September 12, 2019: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Mitchell — $250,000 damage.

    NWS: “Numerous homes and businesses were inundated by flood water in Mitchell.”

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

Flood insurance policyholders in Mitchell's ZIP code 57301 have filed 32 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 10. 34% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 28 South Dakota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 15 have fewer than Mitchell.

Davison County, which includes Mitchell, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Davison County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding 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 16th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (35%), 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 Mitchell

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