PlainHazard

South Dakota lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 42 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 127 lightning records in South Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.9 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 24, 2001 lightning in Pennington County: 1 death and 2 injuries. South Dakota ranks 36th of 52 states and territories by count and 41st of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in South Dakota, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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
1271996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
4.9average
Deaths
520 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$6.7Mas filed
Busiest year
200119 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 lightning records common in South Dakota?

South Dakota averages about 4.9 lightning records a year since 2000, 36th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2001 (19). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Dakota records 17 lightning records since 1996, 41st of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175
  11. 41. South Dakota 17

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, Lincoln County leads South Dakota: 7 days with a lightning record since 1996, 12.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Pennington County has the most lightning records (13 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. Lincoln County 12.1 (8)
  2. Davison County 11.5 (5)
  3. Moody County 9.6 (5)
  4. Yankton County 9.6 (5)
  5. Brookings County 8.8 (8)
  6. Lawrence County 7.5 (6)
  7. Minnehaha County 7.4 (7)
  8. Grant County 7.3 (5)
  9. Kingsbury County 6.0 (5)
  10. Marshall County 6.0 (5)
  11. Lake County 5.3 (3)
  12. Bon Homme County 5.3 (3)

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 lightning season in South Dakota?

55% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (39 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 0 · Apr 5 · May 19 · Jun 20 · Jul 39 · Aug 31 · Sep 7 · Oct 4 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in South Dakota?

South Dakota: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2001-06-24 LightningSheridan Lake, Pennington County Nine people were standing on the beach and in the water at Sheridan Lake when lightning hit the beach. Six of the people including one who was in water were dazed and confused. Two injuries (direct), a one year old child and a teen-age girl, were treated at a hospital. The child was in critical condition for a couple ... 1 2 –
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 –
2003-07-20 LightningMidway, Yankton County Two brothers, age 19 and 17, were struck by lightning while swimming in Lewis and Clark Lake. The 19 year old died later the same day, while the 17 year old survived his injuries. 1 1 –
2001-06-09 LightningPine Ridge, Oglala Lakota County Two teenagers on horseback encountered a thunderstorm as they were traveling from Pine Ridge to Manderson. One rider told authorities he was knocked unconscious after seeing a bright flash of light. When he awoke, he found his riding partner on the ground, not breathing or moving. One fatality (direct) and one injury ... 1 1 $2K
2011-08-03 LightningWasta, Pennington County A motorcyclist was struck and killed by lightning as he was driving on Interstate-90 near Wasta. 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.

The costliest lightning records in South Dakota

South Dakota: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2020-08-10 LightningMc Cook Lake, Union County 0 0 $2.9M
2001-08-01 LightningCuster County 0 0 $833K
2004-06-08 LightningOkreek, Todd County 0 0 $781K
2005-05-07 LightningDe Smet, Kingsbury County 0 0 $302K
2025-05-19 LightningWatertown, Codington County 0 0 $100K
2001-04-22 LightningSioux Falls, Minnehaha County 0 1 $8K
2004-04-21 LightningElk Pt, Union County 0 1 $3K
2025-07-09 LightningClark County 0 0 $2K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are lightning 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.

Lightning: South Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeSouth DakotaUnited StatesSouth Dakota's share
1996-99333,5210.94%
2000s688,0520.84%
2010s215,1030.41%
2020-2651,5440.32%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in South Dakota

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-07-09 LightningClark County 0 0 $2K
2025-05-19 LightningWatertown, Codington County 0 0 $100K
2020-08-10 LightningMc Cook Lake, Union County 0 0 $2.9M
2016-08-12 LightningRapid City, Pennington County 0 1 –
2016-08-08 LightningRapid City, Pennington County 0 1 –
2016-08-08 LightningRapid City, Pennington County 0 1 –
2015-07-12 LightningSpearfish, Lawrence County 1 1 –
2014-05-27 LightningBuffalo Gap, Custer County 0 1 –
2011-08-03 LightningWasta, Pennington County 1 0 –
2008-08-05 LightningSturgis, Meade County 0 3 –
2008-07-31 LightningEast Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County 0 2 –
2005-05-07 LightningDe Smet, Kingsbury County 0 0 $302K

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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