NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wagner, 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 Wagner, South Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Wagner
The strongest of the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 29, 1962; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on June 24, 1973, killed 1 person. Of the 72, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on July 31, 2024. Wagner has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 61 South Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1961, with stones up to 6.88 inches. Wagner has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 61 South Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Wagner
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s5
- 2000s14
- 1990s6
- 1980s15
- 1970s9
- 1960s19(5 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1962 | F4 | 18 mi | 24.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 35.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 25 mi | 70.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 24, 1973 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 5 mi | 16.16 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 5, 2007 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2007 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1969 | F2 | 25 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 29, 1954 | F2 | 1 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wagner
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Wagner since 1961, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 6.88 inches, fell on August 21, 2007. The most recent report is from September 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wagner
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wagner, SD, 3 miles north of Wagner at 1,430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 13°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 26.5 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. That 26.5 inches is more than at 33 of the 43 South Dakota stations used on this site (77%). Lake Andes, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Pickstown, SD): 24.4 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 13 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Feb | 37 | 16 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 49 | 26 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 62 | 36 | 3.1 | 6 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 64 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 48 | 27 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Dec | 35 | 17 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 26.5 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wagner, SD (1,430 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 Wagner
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wagner: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $435,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 12, 2022. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 6. Of the 59 South Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Wagner.
July 5, 2022: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Wagner — 2 killed.
July 21, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Wagner — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds destroyed part of a large cattle shed. There was no livestock in the building at the time.”
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 Wagner, 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 Wagner
- Lake Andes, SD13 mi
- Springfield, SD22 mi
- Parkston, SD30 mi
- Oneill, NE40 mi
- Platte, SD40 mi
- Crofton, NE44 mi
- Atkinson, NE46 mi
- Yankton, SD46 mi
- Freeman, SD46 mi
- Mitchell, SD48 mi
- Hartington, NE60 mi
- Parker, SD64 mi
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