Tornado History Map

Lincoln County, South Dakota tornado history

69 tornadoes recorded in or across Lincoln County from 1954 to 2025, coloured by rating on the map.

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Years1950 to 2025
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in Lincoln County

The Storm Prediction Center records 69 tornadoes whose paths touched Lincoln County, South Dakota between 1954 and 2025. They killed 2 people and injured 16. The busiest month is June, with 27 tornadoes. The strongest was an F3 on 5 July 1978. The most recent was on 28 July 2025.

  • 69tornadoes
  • 2deaths
  • 16injuries
  • 1,195per 10,000 sq mi of land

A tornado that crossed several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

How strong were the tornadoes in Lincoln County?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF04159%
F1 / EF1812%
F2 / EF21420%
F3 / EF323%
F4 / EF400%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating46%

Lincoln County tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 29 in 2000s.1950s31960s81970s71980s31990s92000s292010s42020s6

The 2020s only run to 2025, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1950.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1950s3
1960s8
1970s7
1980s3
1990s9
2000s29
2010s4
2020s6
Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 27 in Jun.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr4May17Jun27Jul13Aug6Sep2Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr4
May17
Jun27
Jul13
Aug6
Sep2
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Records for Lincoln County

  • Deadliest: South Dakota tornado14 July 1970, F2, 1 death, 1 injury, 3.8 miles long
  • Strongest: Iowa tornado5 July 1978, F3, 8 miles long
  • Longest path: South Dakota tornado21 June 1968, F2, 1 injury, 16.4 miles long
  • Most recent: South Dakota tornado28 July 2025, EF0, 3.3 miles long

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

More in South Dakota

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