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Winter in Haakon County, South Dakota

114 winter storms and snow events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Winter Storm, Winter Weather, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Ice Storm, Lake-Effect Snow, Sleet.

114 events · 1 deaths recorded · peak month March · county share of state 1.1%

Winter event locations in and around Haakon County. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.

Haakon County, South Dakota, has 114 winter events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 29 different years.

March is the busiest month, with 24 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 78 events against 36 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.

The county holds 1.1% of the 10,128 winter events recorded in South Dakota; its 6.3 per 100 square miles compares with 13.4 statewide.

NCEI attributes 1 death in the county to winter storms and snow.

Some winter weather and high wind events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county; zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county are included and marked "Forecast zone" in the table.

Compared with South Dakota

MeasureHaakon CountySouth DakotaUS
Winter events since 195011410,128287,339
Per 100 square miles6.313.48.1
Per 10,000 residents621.3113.18.7
Deaths recorded1732,509
Busiest monthMarchDecemberJanuary

By year

195019882026
Winter events recorded in Haakon County per year, 1950 to 2026 (2026 is partial).

Seasonality

Jan
14
Feb
21
Mar
24
Apr
17
May
1
Jun
0
Jul
0
Aug
0
Sep
0
Oct
5
Nov
11
Dec
21
Winter events in Haakon County by month of occurrence, all years.

Recorded events

All 114 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.

DateEvent typeMagnitudeProperty damageCrop damageDeathsInjuriesGeography
1 Apr 2024Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
31 Mar 2024Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
24 Mar 2024Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
15 Feb 2024Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
14 Feb 2024Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
25 Dec 2023Blizzard—————Forecast zone
3 Apr 2023Blizzard—————Forecast zone
31 Mar 2023Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
6 Mar 2023Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
5 Mar 2023Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
21 Feb 2023Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
27 Jan 2023Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
22 Dec 2022Blizzard—————Forecast zone
13 Dec 2022Blizzard—————Forecast zone
5 Mar 2022Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
21 Feb 2022Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
21 Jan 2022Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
14 Mar 2021Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
10 Mar 2021Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
27 Feb 2021Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
24 Oct 2020Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
11 Apr 2020Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
1 Apr 2020Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
13 Mar 2020Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
24 Feb 2020Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
29 Dec 2019Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
29 Nov 2019Blizzard—————Forecast zone
10 Nov 2019Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
10 Oct 2019Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
10 Apr 2019Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
13 Mar 2019Blizzard—————Forecast zone
8 Mar 2019Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
16 Feb 2019Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
15 Feb 2019Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
6 Feb 2019Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
30 Dec 2018Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
26 Dec 2018Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
1 Dec 2018Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
13 Apr 2018Blizzard—————Forecast zone
16 Mar 2018Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
5 Mar 2018Blizzard—————Forecast zone
18 Feb 2018Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
25 Apr 2017Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
9 Apr 2017Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
24 Jan 2017Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
2 Jan 2017Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
25 Dec 2016Blizzard—$300K—1—Forecast zone
16 Dec 2016Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
15 Dec 2015Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
1 Dec 2015Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
30 Nov 2015Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
9 May 2015Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
2 Mar 2015Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
8 Jan 2015Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
22 Dec 2014Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
31 Mar 2014Blizzard—————Forecast zone
4 Oct 2013Blizzard—————Forecast zone
8 Apr 2013Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
9 Feb 2013Blizzard—————Forecast zone
11 Jan 2013Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
28 Feb 2012Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
18 Nov 2011Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
14 Apr 2011Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
24 Feb 2011Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
20 Feb 2011Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
31 Dec 2010Blizzard—————Forecast zone
23 Dec 2010Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
21 Nov 2010Winter Weather—————Forecast zone
6 Jan 2010Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
25 Dec 2009Blizzard—$25K———Forecast zone
4 Apr 2009Blizzard—————Forecast zone
30 Mar 2009Blizzard—$250K———Forecast zone
23 Mar 2009Blizzard—$4.0M———Forecast zone
25 Feb 2009Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
13 Dec 2008Blizzard—————Forecast zone
5 Nov 2008Blizzard—$300K———Forecast zone
6 Apr 2008Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
21 Dec 2007Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
18 Mar 2006Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
12 Mar 2006Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
1 Jan 2006Ice Storm—————Forecast zone
27 Nov 2005Blizzard—————Forecast zone
11 Apr 2005Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
29 Feb 2004Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
2 Feb 2003Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
15 Jan 2003Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
29 Oct 2002Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
13 Mar 2002Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
9 Feb 2002Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
26 Nov 2001Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
22 Apr 2001Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
24 Feb 2001Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
6 Feb 2001Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
29 Jan 2001Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
18 Nov 2000Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
7 Nov 2000Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
19 Apr 2000Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
7 Mar 2000Blizzard—————Forecast zone
25 Feb 2000Blizzard—————Forecast zone
10 Mar 1999Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
8 Nov 1998Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
28 Mar 1998Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
27 Dec 1997Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
9 Apr 1997Winter Storm—————Forecast zone
5 Apr 1997Blizzard—————Forecast zone
15 Jan 1997Blizzard—————Forecast zone
9 Jan 1997Blizzard—————Forecast zone
4 Jan 1997Blizzard—————Forecast zone
16 Dec 1996Blizzard—————Forecast zone
14 Dec 1996Blizzard—————Forecast zone
1 Dec 1996Heavy Snow—————Forecast zone
26 Oct 1996Winter Storm—$25K———Forecast zone
23 Mar 1996Blizzard—————Forecast zone
17 Jan 1996Blizzard—————Forecast zone

Questions and answers

How many winter events has Haakon County had?

114 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of winter storms and snow became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.

When was the last recorded winter event in Haakon County?

1 Apr 2024 (Winter Weather). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.

What was the most damaging winter event recorded in Haakon County?

The blizzard of 23 Mar 2009, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $4.0M.

How does Haakon County compare with South Dakota for winter?

6.3 events per 100 square miles against 13.4 statewide; the county holds 114 of the state's 10,128 recorded events.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Winter hub and the county page.