Tornado History Map

Clay County, South Dakota tornado history

34 tornadoes recorded in or across Clay County from 1959 to 2021, 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 Clay County

The Storm Prediction Center records 34 tornadoes whose paths touched Clay County, South Dakota between 1959 and 2021. They killed 1 person and injured 9. The busiest month is June, with 18 tornadoes. The strongest was an F3 on 21 May 1962. The most recent was on 15 May 2021.

  • 34tornadoes
  • 1death
  • 9injuries
  • 825per 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 Clay County?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF01853%
F1 / EF1721%
F2 / EF2721%
F3 / EF313%
F4 / EF400%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating13%

Clay County tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 12 in 2000s.1950s11960s71970s21980s91990s22000s122020s1

The 2020s only run to 2021, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1950.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1950s1
1960s7
1970s2
1980s9
1990s2
2000s12
2020s1
Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 18 in Jun.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr1May10Jun18Jul2Aug2Sep1Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr1
May10
Jun18
Jul2
Aug2
Sep1
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Records for Clay County

  • Deadliest: Nebraska tornado30 May 1959, F2, 1 death, 2 injuries, 26.8 miles long
  • Strongest and Longest path: Nebraska tornado21 May 1962, F3, 7 injuries, 71.7 miles long
  • Most recent: South Dakota tornado15 May 2021, Unknown rating, 1.3 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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