NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sisseton, 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 Sisseton, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 56
- 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 Sisseton
The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on September 23, 2004, came within 13 miles. Of the 56, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on August 21, 2025. Of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sisseton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 61 South Dakota cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sisseton.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sisseton
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s12
- 2000s5
- 1990s16
- 1980s2
- 1970s8
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2004 | F2 | 13 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1979 | F2 | 20 mi | 20.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F2 | 12 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 1956 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1951 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 21, 2025 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2017 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2011 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 23, 2004 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 1994 | F1 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1992 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sisseton
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Sisseton since 1956, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 13, 1958. The most recent report is from July 31, 2024. July has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sisseton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sisseton, SD, in Sisseton at 1,209 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 5°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 166 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 25.5 inches is more than at 29 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (67%). Webster, 34 miles southwest, has its own station (Webster, SD): 26.2 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 5 | 0.8 | 2 | 8.9 |
| Feb | 27 | 9 | 0.8 | 3 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 39 | 20 | 1.4 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.6 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 50 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 41 | 23 | 1.0 | 3 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 27 | 11 | 0.8 | 3 | 9.4 |
| Year | 54 | 34 | 25.5 | 53 | 48.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sisseton, SD (1,209 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 Sisseton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sisseton: 31 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods and 4 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $150,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on July 10, 2016.
June 11, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sisseton — $150,000 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
Roberts County, which includes Sisseton, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on July 6, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Roberts County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.6 million a year, the 27th highest of 66 South Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.3 million (38%), 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 Sisseton
- Webster, SD34 mi
- Milbank, SD38 mi
- Ortonville, MN39 mi
- Wahpeton, ND46 mi
- Breckenridge, MN48 mi
- Watertown, SD52 mi
- Groton, SD55 mi
- Morris, MN55 mi
- Appleton, MN59 mi
- Oakes, ND59 mi
- Madison, MN60 mi
- Lisbon, ND61 mi
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