Clay County tornado history

31 tornadoes touched Clay County, South Dakota between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.4 a year. The strongest was rated F2 (Jun 7, 1965).

31tornadoes since 1950
F2strongest rating
0killed · 0 injured
20 milongest path · 1985
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F017
(E)F17
(E)F26
(E)F30
(E)F40
(E)F50
unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Jun 7, 1965F28.6 mi210 yd00
May 8, 1965F24.5 mi10 yd00
Jun 7, 1965F20.1 mi10 yd00
Aug 16, 1967F20.1 mi10 yd00
Sep 26, 1981F20.1 mi10 yd00
Jun 11, 1984F20.1 mi10 yd00
Aug 12, 1985F120 mi30 yd00
Jun 16, 1990F19 mi60 yd00
May 29, 2008EF12 mi100 yd00
May 29, 2008EF11.9 mi100 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F11.5 mi200 yd00
Jun 21, 1986F10.2 mi23 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
May 15, 2021unrated1.3 mi25 yd00
May 29, 2008EF12 mi100 yd00
May 29, 2008EF11.9 mi100 yd00
May 29, 2004F00.1 mi50 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F00.2 mi50 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F00.1 mi50 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F00.5 mi50 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F00.7 mi100 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F01 mi100 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F11.5 mi200 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F02 mi100 yd00
Jun 24, 2003F00.5 mi50 yd00

Nearby counties

Union County, SD24Yankton County, SD28Cedar County, NE32Lincoln County, SD59Turner County, SD47Dixon County, NE27Plymouth County, IA52Dakota County, NE9

Questions

How many tornadoes has Clay County, South Dakota had?

31 tornadoes touched Clay County, South Dakota between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.4 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Clay County?

The strongest rating recorded was F2 on Jun 7, 1965, with a 8.6-mile path.

When is tornado season in Clay County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (18 of 31). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).