Buffalo County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Buffalo County is about the same as South Dakota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Buffalo County is lower than South Dakota average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #4
| Buffalo County | 0.23 |
| South Dakota | 0.05 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Buffalo County | 0.0000 |
| South Dakota | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #35
| Buffalo County | 78.55 |
| South Dakota | 114.73 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 6,980 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Buffalo County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 60 | Cold: | 11 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 9 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 338 | Hail: | 3,967 | Heat: | 3 | Heavy Snow: | 41 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 5 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 74 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,262 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 8 | Winter Storm: | 70 | Winter Weather: | 21 |
| Other: | 110 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Buffalo County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Buffalo County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 15.3 | 1983-03-04 | 4.6 | 5 | 44.21 | -99.41 |
| 25.7 | 1967-11-23 | 4.4 | N/A | 43.7 | -99.4 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 25 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Buffalo County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 11.4 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°03'N / 99°26'W | 2.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 8 | 25.0M | 0 | Buffalo | |
| 15.0 | 1971-07-03 | 3 | 44°16'N / 99°14'W | 44°15'N / 99°17'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hand | ||
| 17.1 | 1971-07-03 | 2 | 44°13'N / 99°00'W | 44°14'N / 98°56'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hand |
| 18.2 | 1973-07-01 | 2 | 43°50'N / 98°59'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Brule | |
| 19.4 | 1971-07-03 | 2 | 44°14'N / 98°59'W | 44°02'N / 98°41'W | 20.10 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hand |
| 19.8 | 1971-07-09 | 3 | 44°05'N / 99°36'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lyman | |||
| 20.0 | 1971-07-24 | 3 | 43°46'N / 99°19'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Brule | |
| 22.6 | 1954-06-10 | 2 | 43°43'N / 99°11'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Brule | |
| 23.3 | 1971-07-09 | 3 | 43°53'N / 99°37'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Lyman | |||
| 23.9 | 1986-07-28 | 2 | 43°47'N / 99°00'W | 43°43'N / 98°54'W | 6.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Brule |
| 24.5 | 1965-05-08 | 2 | 43°40'N / 99°14'W | 43°43'N / 99°18'W | 4.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Brule |
| 25.9 | 1959-05-25 | 2 | 44°15'N / 98°46'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Hand | |||
| 33.0 | 1987-08-05 | 2 | 44°01'N / 99°52'W | 1.20 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lyman | |
| 33.6 | 1968-06-20 | 2 | 43°23'N / 99°26'W | 43°44'N / 98°58'W | 33.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gregory |
| 33.6 | 2006-08-24 | 2 | 44°31'N / 99°04'W | 44°30'N / 98°56'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hand |
| Brief Description: A supercell thunderstorm on its southeast track produced a fourth tornado in Hand county. This tornado touched down west of Miller. The tornado destroyed a large barn and a car was moved nearly 20 feet. Well built structures were heavily damaged and several were pushed slightly off of their foundations. Significant tree damage also occurred. | |||||||||||
| 35.1 | 2006-08-24 | 2 | 44°26'N / 98°47'W | 44°25'N / 98°41'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hand |
| Brief Description: A supercell thunderstorm tracking southeast produced a fifth tornado in Hand county. The tornado touched downed south of Vayland and tracked southeast and into Beadle county. See storm data for southeast South Dakota. The tornado formed in a heavily wooded area tracking along a county road producing F1 damage to several farmsteads. A mobile home was flipped and destroyed. A grain storage building was flipped onto a car. Several homes had significant roof and window damage. Numerous trees were snapped. As the tornado crossed into Beadle county it was producing F2 damage. | |||||||||||
| 37.0 | 1959-06-23 | 2 | 44°27'N / 98°43'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hand | |||
| 38.5 | 1986-07-28 | 2 | 43°39'N / 98°43'W | 43°39'N / 98°36'W | 3.50 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Aurora |
| 41.7 | 1992-06-30 | 2 | 44°22'N / 99°55'W | 0.30 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hughes | |
| 42.4 | 2006-08-24 | 3 | 44°25'N / 98°41'W | 44°19'N / 98°16'W | 19.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 15.0M | 0 | Beadle |
| Brief Description: A tornado, entering Beadle County from Hand County to the west, destroyed 8 houses, damaged at least 7 other houses, and destroyed or damaged numerous farm buildings. One of the destroyed houses and several destroyed small buildings were on a farmstead 2 miles south of Wessington, and five large high voltage transmission towers were blown down about 3 miles southeast of Wessington. A woman was cut on the neck at one farm southwest of Wolsey where the house and all other buildings were destroyed; the injury was not life threatening. The tornado tossed a car and 2 pickups up to 50 feet at the same farm. Another non life threatening injury occurred southeast of Wolsey, again on a farm where the house and all buildings were destroyed. Several vehicles were destroyed or damaged. The tornado killed 10 head of cattle at one farmstead just south of Wolsey. The tornado snapped off numerous power poles, caused widespread tree damage, and severely damaged a bridge where it crossed U.S. Highway 14. The tornado also caused crop damage, but the amount of crop damage was not known. The tornado dissipated one and a half miles southwest of Huron. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 1968-06-20 | 2 | 43°29'N / 98°51'W | 43°36'N / 98°27'W | 21.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Charles Mix |
| 45.1 | 1962-05-21 | 2 | 44°01'N / 98°17'W | 43°52'N / 98°20'W | 10.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sanborn |
| 45.1 | 2007-05-05 | 3 | 43°40'N / 98°25'W | 43°44'N / 98°27'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0K | Aurora |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado destroyed a hunting lodge and nearby outbuildings. The tornado also severely damaged a house, tossed a trailer 100 yards, and caused tree damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Numerous thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of May 5th produced large hail, damaging winds, several tornadoes, and flash flooding in southeast South Dakota. Significant damage was reported from several locations. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 2003-06-24 | 3 | 44°01'N / 98°19'W | 44°05'N / 98°16'W | 5.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Sanborn |
| Brief Description: A tornado, crossing into Sanborn County from Jerauld County, destroyed or severely damaged several buildings on two farms. The tornado lifted the roof off a house. Another farmhouse had windows blown out, and shingles and aluminum siding torn off. Destroyed buildings included a barn, garage, outbuildings, and other small structures. Vehicles inside the destroyed garage were damaged. The tornado also caused tree, power line, and crop damage. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 1971-06-04 | 2 | 43°23'N / 98°51'W | 43°26'N / 98°47'W | 4.30 Miles | 137 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Charles Mix |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.