Hyde County
Population 1,191 (2025) 861 sq mi
Hyde County has recorded 15 tornadoes since 1950, 60th most of 66 counties in South Dakota; the most recent was on June 7, 2020.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 195015
- Wildfire burn scars since 19842
At a glance
The record for Hyde County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tornadoes since 1950
15
60th of 66 in South Dakota
Fewer than the typical South Dakota county, which has had 29
DetailsAcres burned since 1984
1,268
31st of 66 in South Dakota
2 large fires; the largest was N Hyde, 2005
DetailsStrongest tornado
F1
August 5, 1968, 3.6 mile path
Federal disaster declarations
15
Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, 2026
DetailsSnowiest season
84.0in
Winter of 1994-95
Tornadoes
About one every 5.1 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
August 5, 1968
F1, 3.6 mile path
880 yards wide.
Most recent
Sunday, June 7, 2020
EF1, 0.4 mile path
6 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 7, 2020 | EF1 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 23, 2018 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 23, 2018 | EF0 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 2014 | EF1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 2014 | EF0 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 22, 2010 | EF1 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 14, 2008 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24, 2006 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24, 2006 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1988 | F0 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 19, 1975 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 1971 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1968 | F1 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| May 14, 1965 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 1963 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hyde County: 0.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
1,268 acres burned in 2 large fires since 1984, equal to 0.2% of the land.
Largest
September 3, 2005
N Hyde Fire, 1,203 acres
1,204 acres inside Hyde County.
Most recent
October 10, 2022
Holiday Fire
2,933 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Holiday | 2022 | 63 | 2,933 |
| N Hyde | 2005 | 1,204 | 1,203 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2021: 58 days
Heavy smoke on 38 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
30.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
24 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 38 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
1 federal flood insurance claims since 1997, with $0 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flood12
- Flash Flood10
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 145 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 22 months.
145
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
56
Months in extreme drought
9%
Share of all months, severe or worse
30
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
August 1934
−7.25, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
22 months
June 1933 to March 1935.
Latest month
September 2026
+1.28, slightly wet
Last severe month: July 2021.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
2 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.4 in 1983.
1
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
11
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
2
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 4, 1983
Magnitude 4.4
16 km N of Fort Thompson, South Dakota; inside the county, 3.1 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
May 30, 2024
Magnitude 3.7
38 km NNW of Pierre, South Dakota; 45.2 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Mar 4, 1983 | 4.4 | Inside |
| Jul 23, 1946 | 4.1 | 35.3 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
574 events in the National Weather Service record, 530 of them since 1996.
101
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
10
Hail, 2 inches or larger
137
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
94
Winter weather events since 1996
15
Heat events since 1996
34
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 6, 1987
4.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 29, 2026
131 mph
More event types since 1996
| Dust storms and dust devils | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Apr 1, 2019Flood$178,000
National Weather Service narrative
The continuation of snowmelt from a much above normal snowfall winter combined with a historic heavy snow/blizzard in mid-April resulted in widespread flooding across central and northeast South Dakota. Countless roads along with thousands of acres of cropland were flooded throughout April. Impacts include damaged roads, culverts, and bridges, and livestock, homes, and businesses were affected. Delayed planting resulted across all of the region as well. Cattle and calves were stressed by the cold and wet pattern, as the mud and cold caused some sickness with the livestock. Flooded roads made it difficult for many farmers or ranchers to get to their fields or livestock. There was a…
- Jul 5, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
National Weather Service narrative
A trained spotter reported a roof blown off of a home.
- Aug 3, 2005Flash Flood$5,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rains of 3 to 6 inches fell between Highmore and Ree Heights. Many township roads were flooded and a section of railroad tracks was washed out west of Ree Heights.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Highmore, 0.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1893.
- All-time high
- 113°F5 times, most recently Jul 15, 2006
- All-time low
- −45°FJan 12, 1912
- Warmest night
- 88°FJul 11, 1901
- Coldest day
- −23°FFeb 1, 1917
- Wettest day
- 6.00 inAug 4, 2007
- Snowiest day
- 22.0 inApr 18, 1995
- Hottest year
- 1931mean 50.0°F
- Coldest year
- 1950mean 40.8°F
- Wettest year
- 201935.56 in
- Driest year
- 19769.28 in
- Snowiest season
- 84.0 in1994-95
Median first snow
November 12
Earliest: September 30, 1961
Median last snow
April 4
Latest: May 10, 1907
0 of 117 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Highmore (USC00393832), 1,901 ft elevation, 0.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 23, 2026; 93.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
15 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, September 1, 2026.
| Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storm | DR-4938-SD |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | DR-4527-SD |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3475-SD |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Flood | DR-4440-SD |
| May 13, 2011 | Flood | DR-1984-SD |
| May 13, 2010 | Flood | DR-1915-SD |
| Mar 10, 2010 | Severe Storm | DR-1887-SD |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3234-SD |
| Jul 22, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1596-SD |
| Apr 7, 1997 | Flood | DR-1173-SD |
| Jan 10, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1156-SD |
| May 26, 1995 | Flood | DR-1052-SD |
| Mar 14, 1995 | Snowstorm | DR-1045-SD |
| Jun 17, 1976 | Drought | EM-3015-SD |
| Apr 18, 1969 | Flood | DR-257-SD |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
How this compares
Where Hyde County stands among 66 counties in South Dakota and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 15 | 60 / 66 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 1,268 | 31 / 66 |
| Flood insurance claims | 1 | 47 / 66 |
| Flood insurance paid | $0 | — |
| Disaster declarations | 15 | 56 / 66 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 22 | 49 / 66 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 323 | 42 / 66 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 94 | 58 / 66 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $193,000 | 60 / 66 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 145 | 32 / 66 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 30.9 | 24 / 66 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 2 | 23 / 66 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 1 | 14 / 66 |
Neighbouring counties
| Buffalo County | 17 | 0 |
| Faulk County | 22 | 0 |
| Hand County | 45 | 0 |
| Hughes County | 17 | 0 |
| Lyman County | 43 | 0 |
| Potter County | 20 | 0 |
| Sully County | 22 | 0 |
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00393832.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.