States › South Dakota › Pennington County › Tornado
Tornado in Pennington County, South Dakota
49 tornadoes events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Tornado.
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.
Pennington County, South Dakota, has 49 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 28 different years.
July is the busiest month, with 15 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 10 events against 12 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 2.5% of the 1,947 tornado events recorded in South Dakota; its 1.8 per 100 square miles compares with 2.6 statewide.
By rating: 27 at (E)F0, 14 at (E)F1, 4 at (E)F2, 0 at (E)F3, 0 at (E)F4, 0 at (E)F5 and 4 unrated. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with South Dakota
| Measure | Pennington County | South Dakota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 49 | 1,947 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 4.4 | 21.7 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 19 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | July | June | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
0Apr
0May
12Jun
14Jul
15Aug
7Sep
1Oct
0Nov
0Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
Enhanced Fujita scale wind estimates
- EF0/F0
- 65–85 mph (EF0)
- EF1/F1
- 86–110 mph (EF1)
- EF2/F2
- 111–135 mph (EF2)
- EF3/F3
- 136–165 mph (EF3)
- EF4/F4
- 166–200 mph (EF4)
- EF5/F5
- over 200 mph (EF5)
- Unrated
- no rating recorded
Tornado rating as recorded (Fujita scale before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita after).
Recorded events
All 49 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jul 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jul 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jun 2016 | Tornado | EF2 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2014 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 2013 | Tornado | EF1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 May 2011 | Tornado | EF0 | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF0 | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 2009 | Tornado | EF1 | $1K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jun 2008 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 1995 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1994 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1994 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1994 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1994 | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1994 | Tornado | F0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 May 1993 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jul 1992 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jul 1992 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 1991 | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1985 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1985 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1985 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 May 1985 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 May 1985 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 1984 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Aug 1983 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jul 1982 | Tornado | F0 | $30 | — | — | — | County |
| 23 Jul 1981 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 Jul 1981 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Jul 1979 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jun 1979 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1975 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1975 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1975 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1975 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Sep 1967 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jun 1967 | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 3 | County |
| 23 Jul 1966 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 12 Jul 1965 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 May 1965 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 May 1965 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Jun 1962 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 14 Jul 1957 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 May 1957 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jun 1956 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 May 1953 | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Pennington County had?
49 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of tornadoes became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded tornado event in Pennington County?
4 Jul 2019 (Tornado, EF1). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Pennington County?
The tornado of 18 Jun 1967, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $2.5M.
How does Pennington County compare with South Dakota for tornado?
1.8 events per 100 square miles against 2.6 statewide; the county holds 49 of the state's 1,947 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 Tornado hub and the county page.