NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Platte, 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 Platte, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Platte
The strongest of the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 14, 1962; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 64, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Platte. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Platte.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Platte
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s12
- 2000s5
- 1990s9
- 1980s9
- 1970s14
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 53.8 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1971 | F2 | 4 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1968 | F2 | 4 mi | 21.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1968 | F2 | 17 mi | 33.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1954 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 11.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1993 | F1 | 22 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 26, 1983 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Platte
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Platte since 1973, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 22, 1993. The most recent report is from June 27, 2025. June has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Platte
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Academy 2NE, SD, 9 miles northwest of Platte at 1,681 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 23.9 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 167 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 23.9 inches is more than at 23 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (53%). Lake Andes, 28 miles southeast, has its own station (Pickstown, SD): 24.4 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 11 | 0.5 | 1 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 46 | 24 | 1.1 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 2.7 | 5 | 6.8 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 63 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 60 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 37 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 46 | 25 | 0.8 | 2 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.2 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 23.9 | 45 | 41.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Academy 2NE, SD (1,681 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 Platte
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 57 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Platte: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $48.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 1, 2018. August has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Platte.
June 1, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Platte — $27.5 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 20, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Platte — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts across Aurora County from June 20-22 ranged from 3 to 9 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued.”
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 Platte, 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 Platte
- Lake Andes, SD28 mi
- Chamberlain, SD31 mi
- Wagner, SD40 mi
- Mitchell, SD47 mi
- Parkston, SD48 mi
- Winner, SD55 mi
- Atkinson, NE60 mi
- Springfield, SD63 mi
- Oneill, NE65 mi
- Freeman, SD72 mi
- Huron, SD74 mi
- Ainsworth, NE80 mi
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