Tripp County, South Dakota

What hazards hit Tripp County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 282 since 1957. 50% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in July and August. 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.

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 Tripp County had?

NOAA records 35 tornadoes in Tripp County from 1957 to 2020, the strongest rated F5, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. 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 38 tornadoes whose track touched Tripp County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 35: 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.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in South Dakota.

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 Tripp County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 22, 2016 tornado ($31,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A brief tornado touched down north of Clearfield in southwestern Tripp County and tracked across a farm, causing considerable property damage. Two livestock trailers were tossed by the winds estimated near 100 mph. A pole shed was destroyed with the poles torn from the ground and metal siding and roof blown across the yard. The home had roof and siding damage. Two power poles were downed. There were no injuries.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 628227)

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

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: 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 Tripp 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

50% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Tripp County

FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Tripp County: 17 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (8) and severe storm (6).

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.

FEMA's modeled risk for Tripp County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tripp County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.3 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Tripp County

1. Cherry County, NE 1,825
2. Lyman County 927
3. Tripp County 795
4. Todd County 777
5. Gregory County 751
6. Mellette County 488
7. Keya Paha County, NE 412

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 Tripp CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Tripp County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis