NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
South Dakota Summary
From 1980-2024, there were 36 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect South Dakota. These events included 13 drought events, 5 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 15 severe storm events, and 2 wildfire events. The 1980–2024 annual average is 0.8 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2020–2024) is 2.2 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 13 | 0.3 | 36.1% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 64.6% |
| Flooding | 5 | 0.1 | 13.9% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 24.8% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 2.8% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 15 | 0.3 | 41.7% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 10.1% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0.0 | 5.6% | $100M-$250M | 0.5% |
| Winter Storm | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| All Disasters | 36 | 0.8 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 13 | 0.3 | 37.1% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 60.9% |
| Flooding | 5 | 0.1 | 14.3% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 25.5% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 2.9% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 14 | 0.3 | 40.0% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 13.0% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0.0 | 5.7% | $5M-$100M | 0.5% |
| Winter Storm | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| All Disasters | 35 | 0.8 | 100.0% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 5 | 0.5 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 21.0% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 4 | 0.4 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 10.4% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 6 | 0.6 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 15.3% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 10 | 1.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 32.0% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 11 | 2.2 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 21.4% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 7 | 2.3 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 15.3% |
| Last Year (2024) | 3 | 3.0 | $250M-$500M | 1.2% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 36 | 0.8 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 10.3% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 7.5% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 6 | 0.6 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 14.3% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 10 | 1.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 37.8% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 11 | 2.2 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 30.1% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 7 | 2.3 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 22.3% |
| Last Year (2024) | 3 | 3.0 | $250M-$500M | 1.9% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 35 | 0.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central and Northeast Severe Weather June 2024 | Severe Storm | June 24, 2024 | June 26, 2024 | High wind, hail and tornadoes impact numerous central and northeastern states on June 24-26. Several states were impacted by tornadoes including Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. On June 25, an EF-3 tornado hit Whitman, Nebraska and the surrounding area. It was the first strong tornado to impact Grant County, Nebraska in more than 70 years. On June 26, a tornado that impacted Providence County, Rhode Island was the first June tornado reported in the state since records began in 1950. | $1.7 CI | 3 |
Upper Midwest Flooding June 2024 | Flooding | June 16, 2024 | June 23, 2024 | Heavy rainfall created destructive flood conditions that damaged thousands of homes, vehicles, businesses and other infrastructure crops over a multi-state region. Across southern Minnesota and northwest Iowa, June precipitation totaled 10-15 inches, with much of the rainfall from June 16-23. This rainfall resulted in widespread catastrophic flooding that breached dams and levees, closed interstate highways, forced evacuations, and required numerous water rescues. Heavy rainfall also inundated crops that were impacted in parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. | $1.1 CI | 4 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather June 2024 | Severe Storm | June 12, 2024 | June 14, 2024 | Damaging hail, high wind and tornadoes impact several central and eastern states including Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania on June 12-14. Central and northern Minnesota received damage from quarter to golf ball sized hail while the metro region of Omaha, Nebraska experienced up to baseball sized hail damaging homes, vehicles and businesses. There were also two dozen tornadoes and hundreds of damaging wind reports across these states. | $1.2 CI | 0 |
Southern/ Spring-Fall 2023 | Drought | April 1, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | Drought conditions impacted numerous Southern and Midwestern states (TX, LA, OK, KS, IL, MO, NE) and surrounding states. The agriculture sector has been impacted across these affected states including damage to field crops from lack of rainfall. Ranchers have also been forced to sell-off livestock early in some regions due to high feeding costs. For the second straight year, portions of the Mississippi River have experienced low water levels impacting river commerce. This low flow has also allowed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to migrate northward, along the bottom of the Mississippi River, impacting water quality in southern Louisiana. Several Northwestern states including Washington, Oregon and Montana have also been impacted by increasing drought effects. | $14.8 CI | 247 |
Western/ 2022 | Drought | January 1, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | Severe drought conditions impacted many Western and Central states. Large reservoirs across the West including Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville, and Shasta Lake, among others continue to be depleted. Lake Mead, the Nation's largest reservoir, is nearing dead pool status and is at the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The Great Salt Lake is also near record-low levels. The impacts of the drought affected crop production across may states and sharply increased feeding costs for livestock. Many segments of the Mississippi River also experienced low water levels causing delays and reductions in river commerce. Extreme heat also developed for many days across Western and Central states. These excess heat conditions caused more than one hundred heat-related fatalities focused across Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Texas. The 2022 drought was one of the costlier droughts on record, with a diverse array of direct impacts across different regions and industries. | $23.5 CI | 136 |
Central Derecho June 2022 | Severe Storm | June 13, 2022 | June 13, 2022 | A powerful derecho carved a path a high wind damage across several states with the impacts focused in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Thousands of trees were downed from the high winds causing damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, power lines and other infrastructure. There was also considerable hail damage across southern Wisconsin. | $3.4 CI | 1 |
North Central Severe Weather May 2022 | Severe Storm | May 11, 2022 | May 12, 2022 | Severe weather causes tornado, hail and high wind damage across several states including South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hail and high winds impacted southern Minnesota including the cities of St. Cloud and the Minneapolis metro area. In addition, numerous reports of high wind damage occurred across eastern Nebraska. There were also more than two dozen tornadoes that impacted eastern South Dakota and central Minnesota causing damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $2.9 CI | 1 |
Western Drought and Heat Wave 2021 | Drought | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | Western drought conditions were persistent throughout 2021, as the drought expanded and intensified across many Western states. A historic heat wave also developed for many days across the Pacific Northwest shattering numerous all-time high temperature records across the region. This prolonged heat dome was maximized over the states of Oregon and Washington and extended well into Canada. These extreme temperatures impacted several major cities and millions of people. For example, Portland reached a high of 116 degrees F while Seattle reached 108 degrees F. These extreme temperatures caused hundreds of direct and indirect heat-related fatalities across Oregon and Washington, not including excess mortality that may be hundreds of additional deaths. This combined drought and heat rapidly dried out vegetation across the West, impacting agriculture. Low water levels also forced the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville in California to shut down for the first time since it opened in 1967. | $10.2 CI | 229 |
Central Severe Storms July 2021 | Severe Storm | July 8, 2021 | July 11, 2021 | Severe storms caused considerable hail damage across numerous Central states including Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. There was also widespread high wind damage to homes, vehicles and businesses in many other surrounding states. | $1.3 CI | 0 |
Central Severe Weather - Derecho August 2020 | Severe Storm | August 10, 2020 | August 10, 2020 | A powerful derecho traveled from southeast South Dakota to Ohio, a path of 770 miles in 14 hours producing widespread winds greater than 100 mph. The states most affected included Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio. This derecho caused widespread damage to millions of acres of corn and soybean crops across central Iowa. There was also severe damage to homes, businesses and vehicles particularly in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, there were 15 tornadoes across northeastern Illinois several affecting the Chicago metropolitan area. This is the third severe weather event (since 1980) with inflation-adjusted costs over $10.0 ($12.2) billion joining the late-April and May 2011 tornado outbreaks across the Southeastern and Central states, respectively. | $13.5 CI | 4 |
Central Severe Weather July 2020 | Severe Storm | July 10, 2020 | July 11, 2020 | Central severe weather producing hundreds of severe hail and high wind reports across numerous states including Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. These storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.5 CI | 0 |
Missouri River and North Central Flooding March 2019 | Flooding | March 14, 2019 | March 31, 2019 | Historic Midwest flooding inundated millions of acres of agriculture, numerous cities and towns, and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges, levees, and dams. The states most affected were Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This flood was triggered by a powerful storm with heavy precipitation that intensified snow melt and flooding. Of note, the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska was also severely flooded - the third U.S. military base to be damaged by a billion-dollar disaster event over a 6-month period (Sept 2018-Feb 2019). This historic flooding was one of the costliest U.S. inland flooding events on record. | $13.4 CI | 3 |
North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana Drought Spring-Fall 2017 | Drought | March 1, 2017 | December 31, 2017 | Extreme drought causes extensive impacts to agriculture in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. Field crops including wheat were severely damaged and the lack of feed for cattle forced ranchers to sell off livestock. This drought has also contributed to the increased potential for severe wildfires. | $3.3 CI | 0 |
Central and Northeast Severe Weather June 2015 | Severe Storm | June 21, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | Severe storms across numerous Central and Northeast states (CO, CT, IA, IL, MD, MI, NJ, NY, PA, SD, VA, WI) with widespread hail and high wind damage. | $1.5 CI | 1 |
Southern Plains Tornadoes May 2015 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2015 | May 10, 2015 | Tornado outbreak across the Southern Plain states (IA, KS, NE, OK, CO, SD, TX) with 122 tornadoes. The most costly damage occurred across Texas and Oklahoma. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
Rockies/ June 2014 | Severe Storm | June 3, 2014 | June 5, 2014 | Severe storms across the Rockies and Central Plains states (NE, KS, WY, IA, AR). Wind gusts exceeding 90 mph and baseball to softball sized hail caused severe damage to structures and vehicles in central and eastern Nebraska. | $2.5 CI | 2 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2013 | Drought | March 1, 2013 | November 30, 2013 | The 2013 drought slowly dissipated from the historic levels of the 2012 drought, as conditions improved across many Midwestern and Plains states. However, moderate to extreme drought did remain or expand into western states (AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY). In comparison to 2011 and 2012 drought conditions the US experienced only moderate crop losses across the central agriculture states. | $14.3 CI | 53 |
U.S. Drought/ 2012 | Drought | January 1, 2012 | December 31, 2012 | The 2012 drought is the most extensive drought to affect the U.S. since the 1930s. Moderate to extreme drought conditions affected more than half the country for a majority of 2012. The following states were affected: CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, AR, MO, IA, MN, IL, IN, GA. Costly drought impacts occurred across the central agriculture states resulting in widespread harvest failure for corn, sorghum and soybean crops, among others. The associated summer heat wave also caused 123 direct deaths, but an estimate of the excess mortality due to heat stress is still unknown. | $41.7 CI | 123 |
Western Wildfires Summer-Fall 2012 | Wildfire | June 1, 2012 | November 30, 2012 | Wildfires burned over 9.2 million acres across the U.S. in 2012. This is the 3rd highest annual total since the year 2000. The most damaging wildfires occurred in the western states (CO, ID, WY, MT, CA, NV, OR, WA). Colorado experienced the most costly wildfires (e.g., Waldo Canyon fire) where several hundred residences were destroyed. | $2.4 CI | 8 |
Midwest/ August 17-18, 2011 | Severe Storm | August 17, 2011 | August 18, 2011 | Severe weather impacts the states IA, KS, MO, NE, SD across the Midwest and Southeast. | $1.6 CI | 0 |
Missouri River flooding May-June 2011 | Flooding | May 1, 2011 | June 30, 2011 | Melting of an above-average snow pack across the Northern Rocky Mountains combined with above-average precipitation caused the Missouri and Souris Rivers to swell beyond their banks across the Upper Midwest (MT, ND, SD, NE, IA, KS, MO). An estimated 11,000 people were forced to evacuate Minot, North Dakota due to the record high water level of the Souris River, where 4,000 homes were flooded. Numerous levees were breached along the Missouri River, flooding thousands of acres of farmland. | $2.9 CI | 5 |
Numerous Wildfires 2006 | Wildfire | January 1, 2006 | December 31, 2006 | Numerous wildfires driven by dry weather and high winds burned over 9.8 million acres, across the western half of the country including Alaska. This is the second highest annual total behind the 10.1 million acres burned in 2015 since record-keeping began in 1960. The most affected states were AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MT, NM, NV, OK, OR, TX, WA, WY | $2.3 CI | 28 |
Midwest/ Spring-Summer 2006 | Drought | March 1, 2006 | August 31, 2006 | Rather severe drought affected crops especially during the spring-summer, centered over the Great Plains region with other areas affected across portions of the south -- including states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, MT, WY, CO, NM. | $9.5 CI | 0 |
Midwest Drought Spring-Summer 2005 | Drought | March 1, 2005 | August 31, 2005 | Rather severe localized drought causes significant crop losses (especially for corn and soybeans) in the states of AR, IL, IA, IN, MO, OH, and WI. | $2.4 CI | 0 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2003 | Drought | March 1, 2003 | November 30, 2003 | 2003 drought across western and central portions of the U.S. with losses to agriculture. The states most impacted include AZ, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OR, SD, WA and WI. | $8.7 CI | 35 |
Severe Storms/ May 2003 | Severe Storm | May 3, 2003 | May 10, 2003 | Numerous tornadoes over the midwest, Mississippi valley, OH/TN valleys, and portions of the southeast, with a modern record one-week total of approximately 400 tornadoes reported | $7.1 CI | 51 |
U.S. Drought Spring-Fall 2002 | Drought | March 1, 2002 | November 30, 2002 | Moderate to extreme drought over large portions of more than 30 states, including the western states, the Great Plains, and much of the eastern U.S. | $16.0 CI | 0 |
Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes June 1998 | Severe Storm | May 30, 1998 | June 2, 1998 | Severe storms in late May through early June hit the Midwest, North, Northeast, and Southeast | $2.2 CI | 20 |
Northern Plains Flooding Spring 1997 | Flooding | February 3, 1997 | May 24, 1997 | Severe flooding in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota due to heavy spring snow melt. This flooding caused widespread damage to agriculture, infrastructure, homes and businesses. | $7.3 CI | 11 |
Midwest/ April 1994 | Severe Storm | April 25, 1994 | April 27, 1994 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause damage in states across the South, Southeast and Midwest. The states impacted include TX, OK, AR, CO, KS, NE, IA, SD, IL, IN, MN and MO. | $2.1 CI | 3 |
Midwest Flooding Summer 1993 | Flooding | June 27, 1993 | August 15, 1993 | Severe, widespread flooding in central U.S. due to persistent heavy rains and thunderstorms. There was extensive damage to agriculture, infrastructure, homes and businesses in many areas across several states. Many river stations also established new records for historical flood heights. This is the most costly non-tropical, inland flood event to affect the United States on record. | $46.3 CI | 48 |
Northern Plains Drought Summer-Fall 1989 | Drought | June 1, 1989 | November 30, 1989 | Severe summer drought over much of the northern plains with significant losses to agriculture. The states impacted include CO, IA, IL, KS, MO, ND, NE, NV, SD, TX and UT. | $7.8 CI | 0 |
U.S. Drought/ Summer 1988 | Drought | June 1, 1988 | August 31, 1988 | 1988 drought across a large portion of the U.S. with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 5,000. | $54.6 CI | 454 |
Severe Storms and Hail June 1984 | Severe Storm | June 13, 1984 | June 17, 1984 | Severe storms and hail impact Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska. | $1.4* CI | 1 |
Freeze/ December 1983 | Freeze | December 15, 1983 | December 25, 1983 | Severe freeze damages citrus crops across central/northern Florida. Associated cold wave over much of the U.S. causes over 100 deaths and additional damages. | $6.5 CI | 151 |
Central/ Summer-Fall 1980 | Drought | June 1, 1980 | November 30, 1980 | Central and eastern U.S. drought/heat wave caused damage to agriculture and other related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 10,000. | $40.7 CI | 1,260 |
†Deaths associated with drought are the result of heat waves. (Not all droughts are accompanied by extreme heat waves.)
Flooding events (river basin or urban flooding from excessive rainfall) are separate from inland flood damage caused by tropical cyclone events.
Citing this information:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73