Lawrence County, South Dakota
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 46081 · population 25,743 · 800 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,268 records for Lawrence County, South Dakota from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 713 days; the most frequent are hail reports (537 records). The deadliest single record is the October 3, 2013 blizzard, filed for the forecast zone Northern Black Hills, which covers the county: 3 deaths. FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1965, 15 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on October 7, 2019.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,268on 713 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 411 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $38Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 20strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 17latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Lawrence County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 537 since 1956. 58% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among South Dakota's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 537 | 279 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $10M | 1 of 66 |
| Winter storms | 432 | 269 | 1996-2025 | 3 | 3 | $5.1M | 8 of 66 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 114 | 79 | 1957-2025 | 0 | 7 | $16M | 40 of 66 |
| High wind and dust storms | 108 | 89 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $298K | 7 of 66 |
| Floods | 27 | 22 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | 31 of 66 |
| Tornadoes | 20 | 20 | 1953-2020 | 0 | 0 | $2.6M | 27 of 66 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 9 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 51 of 66 |
| Lightning | 6 | 6 | 1998-2015 | 1 | 1 | $9K | 6 of 66 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 3 | 2010-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 of 66 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2000-2001 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 66 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | 2006-2006 | 0 | 0 | – | 51 of 66 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2026-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 44 of 66 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Lawrence County had?
NOAA records 20 tornadoes in Lawrence County from 1953 to 2020, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 27th of 66 South Dakota counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 22 tornadoes whose track touched Lawrence County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 20: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-29 10:50, as SPC files it | UnnamedCrossed SD, WY | F3 | 3 mi | 0 |
| 1965-07-12 18:40, as SPC files it | UnnamedCrossed SD, WY | F3 | 20.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in South Dakota.
Every tornado record filed for Lawrence County (20)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-10 | Cheyenne Crossing, Lawrence County | EF1 14.81 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-07-06 | Oneill Pass, Lawrence County | EF2 5.05 mi x 770 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-29 | Cheyenne Crossing, Lawrence County | EF1 7.07 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-08-08 | Cheyenne Crossing, Lawrence County | EF1 1.45 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2007-06-16 | Spearfish Airport, Lawrence County | EF1 4.03 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-06-27 | Spearfish, Lawrence County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-05-15 | Spearfish, Lawrence County | F0 1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-06-22 | Deadwood, Lawrence County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-08-13 | To St. Onge, Lawrence County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-05-14 | Lawrence County | F0 4 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1979-08-07 | Lawrence County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1975-06-25 | Lawrence County | F1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-07-23 | Lawrence County | F2 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1969-07-07 | Lawrence County | F2 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1968-06-20 | Lawrence County | F2 13.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1965-07-12 | Lawrence County | F3 11.4 mi x 1,600 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1963-06-03 | Lawrence County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1962-06-14 | Lawrence County | F1 1.9 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1954-07-15 | Lawrence County | F1 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1953-08-04 | Lawrence County | F1 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Lawrence County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 6, 2020 thunderstorm wind (1 injury).
A woman was seriously injured from a tree falling on a camper at the Timon Campground.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 893574)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | HailNemo, Lawrence County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Funnel CloudNemo, Lawrence County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-22 | HailGalena, Lawrence County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | HailGalena, Lawrence County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | HailGalena, Lawrence County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-18 | High WindLawrence County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Black Hills | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-18 | High WindLawrence County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Black Hills | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-18 | High WindLawrence County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Black Hills | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-13 | Thunderstorm WindSpearfish Airport, Lawrence County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | HailNemo, Lawrence County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-01 | HailCheyenne Crossing, Lawrence County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-29 | HailSpearfish Airport, Lawrence County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-03 | BlizzardLawrence County · forecast zone Northern Black Hills A historic blizzard pounded western South Dakota with record-setting snowfall and strong winds for almost 48 hours from the evening of October 3 through the afternoon of October 5. One to two feet of snow was reported over the plains of western South Dakota, with three to five feet of snow falling over the northern ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-07-12 | LightningSpearfish, Lawrence County A young man died and another was injured when they were struck by lightning at the Spearfish Canyon Disk Golf Course. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2000-08-01 | Thunderstorm WindSpearfish, Lawrence County An intense thunderstorm moved from northeastern Wyoming into the foothills of the northern Black Hills. Massive downburst winds estimated at 90 to 110 mph hit areas from eight miles west of Spearfish to several miles east of Spearfish. Hail to golfball size accompanied the high winds and damaged roofs and siding ... | 95 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $16M |
| 1999-03-10 | Winter StormLawrence County and Meade County · forecast zone Northern Black Hills A surface low pressure system just south of the Black Hills combined with an upper level short wave over southwestern South Dakota created some locally heavy snowfall across the region. Generally, amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches. The highest amounts were in the foothills near Sturgis, SD where up to 18 inches were ... | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2020-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindCheyenne Crossing, Lawrence County A woman was seriously injured from a tree falling on a camper at the Timon Campground. | 52 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-08-01 | Thunderstorm WindSpearfish, Lawrence County | 95 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $16M |
| 2006-04-18 | Winter StormLawrence County · forecast zone Northern Foot Hills | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2011-07-31 | HailSpearfish, Lawrence County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2018-06-29 | HailDeadwood, Lawrence County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.4M |
| 2013-05-17 | HailDeadwood, Lawrence County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 2003-06-21 | HailSpearfish, Lawrence County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 2008-06-04 | FloodGalena, Lawrence County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2013-06-22 | HailSpearfish, Lawrence County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $633K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 12, 1965 (tornado, Lawrence County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Lawrence County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 7 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 47 | 146 | 212 | 97 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 63 | 122 | 144 | 103 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 44 | 37 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 39 | 31 | 23 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 6 | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
58% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 71 · Feb 87 · Mar 82 · Apr 92 · May 102 · Jun 217 · Jul 221 · Aug 167 · Sep 34 · Oct 46 · Nov 55 · Dec 94 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lawrence County
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Lawrence County: 12 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 3 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (5) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4527 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3475 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-10-07 | DR-4467 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2013-11-08 | DR-4155 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding |
| 2013-06-28 | DR-4125 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornado, and Flooding |
| 2008-07-09 | DR-1774 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2008-05-22 | DR-1759 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow |
| 2007-07-21 | FM-2716 | Fire | Box Elder Fire |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3234 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-04-19 | FM-2557 | Fire | Sd Wildfire Camp Five |
| 2002-06-29 | FM-2434 | Fire | Grizzly Gulch Fire |
| 1997-04-07 | DR-1173 | Flood | Severe Flooding, Sever Winter Storms,Heavy Rains High Winds |
| 1997-01-10 | DR-1156 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Blizzard Conditions |
| 1995-05-26 | DR-1052 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1976-06-25 | DR-511 | Flood | Flash Flooding & Mudslides |
| 1972-06-10 | DR-336 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1965-05-26 | DR-197 | Flood | Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Lawrence County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 27 flood or flash flood records for Lawrence County from 1996 to 2024, on 22 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lawrence County ranks 1800th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $277,000 on 38 claims filed in Lawrence County; the most in one year was 12 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 3 · 1982: 4 · 1984: 1 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 1 · 1995: 3 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 3 · 1998: 1 · 2008: 12 · 2010: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2019: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Lawrence County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lawrence County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $16.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $397K | 25 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $2.4M | once in about 216 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 6.2 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $563K | 42 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $809K | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $4K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.4M | 4.3 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $8.5M | about once a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Lawrence County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in South DakotaEvery South Dakota tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in South DakotaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The South Dakota recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Lawrence CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lawrence County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis