PlainHazard

South Dakota heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 66 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 877 heat records in South Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 78 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 21, 2023 excessive heat in Yankton County: 1 death. South Dakota ranks 23rd of 51 states and territories by count and 29th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in South Dakota, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
8771996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
78average
Deaths
210 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$62Kas filed
Busiest year
2024148 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in South Dakota?

South Dakota averages about 78 heat records a year since 2000, 23rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (148). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Dakota records 116 heat records since 1996, 29th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 29. South Dakota 116

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in South Dakota have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Clay County leads South Dakota: 28 days with a heat record since 1996, 68.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Charles Mix County has the most heat records (29 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Clay County 68.0 (28)
  2. Davison County 64.3 (28)
  3. Union County 60.8 (28)
  4. Hanson County 59.8 (26)
  5. Yankton County 55.6 (29)
  6. Douglas County 55.6 (24)
  7. Bon Homme County 49.7 (28)
  8. Lincoln County 46.8 (27)
  9. Sanborn County 43.9 (25)
  10. Turner County 43.8 (27)
  11. McCook County 43.5 (25)
  12. Lake County 40.9 (23)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in South Dakota?

77% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (452 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 158 · Jul 452 · Aug 227 · Sep 40 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in South Dakota?

South Dakota: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2023-08-21 Excessive HeatYankton County · forecast zone Yankton Daily afternoon and evening heat indices ranged from 100 to 115 degrees with a maximum heat index of 115 degrees at Automated Weather Observing System site KYKN at Yankton on August 21. A direct fatality occurred in Yankton on the third day of excessive heat when a child was left in a vehicle for an extended time. At ... 1 0 –
2006-07-15 HeatPennington County · forecast zone Pennington Co Plains High pressure brought record heat to western South Dakota, with many locations setting all-time record high temperatures. The National Weather Service cooperative observer 8 miles north-northwest of Usta in Perkins County recorded a maximum temperature of 120 degrees on July 15th, which tied the previous all-time ... 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in South Dakota?

South Dakota's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: South Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeSouth DakotaUnited StatesSouth Dakota's share
1996-9904,3550
2000s729,1630.8%
2010s33516,4452.0%
2020-2647026,7961.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in South Dakota

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatUnion County · forecast zone Union 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatClay County · forecast zone Clay 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatYankton County · forecast zone Yankton 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatTurner County · forecast zone Turner 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatMinnehaha County · forecast zone Minnehaha 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatCharles Mix County · forecast zone Charles Mix 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatBon Homme County · forecast zone Bon Homme 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatHutchinson County · forecast zone Hutchinson 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatMcCook County · forecast zone McCook 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatHanson County · forecast zone Hanson 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatDavison County · forecast zone Davison 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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