NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parkston, 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 Parkston, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Parkston
The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 20, 1968, came within 19 miles. Of the 100, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on July 31, 2024. Parkston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Parkston.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Parkston
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s5
- 2000s21
- 1990s17
- 1980s21
- 1970s13
- 1960s15(6 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 1968 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 35.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 15.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 32 |
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 70.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 12 mi | 16.16 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 5, 2007 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2006 | F2 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parkston
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Parkston since 1959, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 29, 1968. The most recent report is from April 12, 2022. August has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parkston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alexandria, SD, 19 miles northeast of Parkston at 1,365 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 25.2 inches over 49 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 25.2 inches is more than at 27 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (63%). Mitchell, 23 miles north, has its own station (Mitchell Municipal Airport, SD): 21.2 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 0.5 | 1 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 31 | 10 | 0.7 | 2 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 44 | 21 | 1.1 | 3 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 58 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 57 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 49 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 35 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 43 | 21 | 0.9 | 2 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 29 | 10 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.2 |
| Year | 57 | 33 | 25.2 | 49 | 36.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alexandria, SD (1,365 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 Parkston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parkston: 76 floods, 34 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $34.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on July 17, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Parkston.
July 12, 2018: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Parkston — 1 injured.
NWS: “Excessive rain washed out a culvert on 413th Avenue around 100 yards south of 272nd Street during the overnight hours. Around 0940CST the next morning, a driver ignored road closed barricades at the intersection and proceeded around 100 yards before crashing into the washout.”
June 1, 2019: flood 8 miles from the centre of Parkston — $29.3 million damage.
NWS: “During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.”
June 5, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Parkston — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Repeated heavy rain from thunderstorms caused widespread flash flooding in western Hutchinson County. Communities affected included Parkston and Tripp, with Parkston being especially hard hit.”
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
Hutchinson County, which includes Parkston, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 floods, 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 Hutchinson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 12th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (27%), 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 Parkston
- Mitchell, SD23 mi
- Freeman, SD24 mi
- Wagner, SD30 mi
- Lake Andes, SD33 mi
- Springfield, SD37 mi
- Parker, SD41 mi
- Yankton, SD44 mi
- Platte, SD48 mi
- Crofton, NE48 mi
- Hartford, SD52 mi
- Lennox, SD54 mi
- Tea, SD55 mi
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