Howard, SD Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Howard is about the same as South Dakota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Howard is much higher than South Dakota average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #244
| Howard, SD | 0.02 |
| 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
| Howard, SD | 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, #61
| Howard, SD | 205.18 |
| 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 2,864 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Howard, SD 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: | 26 | Cold: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 6 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 182 | Hail: | 1,446 | Heat: | 1 | Heavy Snow: | 33 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 5 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 27 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 996 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 17 | Winter Weather: | 43 |
| Other: | 74 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Howard, SD.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Howard, SD.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 40.0 | 1982-07-11 | 3.6 | 5 | 44.01 | -96.72 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 71 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Howard, SD.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 0.5 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 44°01'N / 97°32'W | 0.10 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Miner | |
| 3.1 | 1965-05-08 | 2 | 43°57'N / 97°30'W | 43°59'N / 97°34'W | 3.30 Miles | 243 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Miner |
| 5.6 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 44°04'N / 97°36'W | 44°04'N / 97°37'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0K | Miner |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado damaged outbuildings and destroyed a hunting lodge. 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. | |||||||||||
| 8.6 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°05'N / 97°32'W | 44°11'N / 97°26'W | 3.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Miner |
| 9.7 | 1962-05-15 | 2 | 44°00'N / 97°42'W | 44°04'N / 97°44'W | 4.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Miner |
| 12.4 | 1962-05-16 | 2 | 44°10'N / 97°39'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Miner | |||
| 12.4 | 1973-07-01 | 2 | 43°50'N / 97°33'W | 0.50 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Mccook | |
| 13.8 | 1954-05-27 | 2 | 43°47'N / 97°33'W | 43°51'N / 97°23'W | 9.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mccook |
| 15.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°59'N / 97°50'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Miner | |
| 15.7 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 43°45'N / 97°38'W | 43°51'N / 97°39'W | 7.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10K | 0K | Hanson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado caused damage to trees and a junk yard after crossing over from McCook County. 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. | |||||||||||
| 16.8 | 1965-05-24 | 2 | 44°00'N / 97°10'W | 44°07'N / 97°13'W | 7.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake |
| 17.0 | 1965-05-24 | 2 | 44°00'N / 97°11'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake | |||
| 19.1 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 43°43'N / 97°36'W | 43°46'N / 97°37'W | 4.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Mccook |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado damaged a house on the west side of Spencer and caused tree damage before crossing into western Hanson County. 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. | |||||||||||
| 19.4 | 2000-07-11 | 2 | 43°58'N / 97°10'W | 43°57'N / 97°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Lake |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed storage sheds, lighting, fencing, and caused other damage at Lake County Speedway. The tornado also damaged crops over a small area. | |||||||||||
| 19.8 | 1998-05-30 | 3 | 43°45'N / 97°41'W | 43°43'N / 97°33'W | 7.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 100K | Hanson |
| Brief Description: A large and strengthening tornado destroyed buildings and other property on five farms and also destroyed trees and power lines before crossing the eastern edge of Hanson County. | |||||||||||
| 19.8 | 1998-05-30 | 4 | 43°45'N / 97°37'W | 43°42'N / 97°26'W | 7.00 Miles | 1600 Yards | 6 | 150 | 17.0M | 400K | Mccook |
| Brief Description: The tornado from Hanson County destroyed most of Spencer as it strengthened and continued to grow. Most homes, other buildings, and other structures in Spencer were completely levelled. Debris and belongings were scattered over a large area, and one receipt blown from Spencer was found just west of Chandler, MN about 80 miles east of Spencer. The tornado killed 6 and injured 150 in Spencer. The tornado continued southeast from Spencer, widened, then weakened, and dissipated 4 miles southwest of Salem with another tornado then forming from the same storm. The tornado caused additional damage to trees, power lines, crops, and buildings on farms after moving southeast of Spencer. F70PH, F77PH, F93PH, F68PH, M62PH, F85PH | |||||||||||
| 21.1 | 1961-06-21 | 3 | 44°33'N / 97°32'W | 44°00'N / 97°05'W | 43.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kingsbury |
| 21.7 | 1998-05-30 | 2 | 43°46'N / 97°49'W | 43°44'N / 97°43'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Hanson |
| Brief Description: A tornado damaged trees and power lines. | |||||||||||
| 24.6 | 1957-06-10 | 2 | 43°51'N / 97°05'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake | |||
| 24.7 | 1969-08-08 | 2 | 43°42'N / 98°00'W | 43°38'N / 97°19'W | 34.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Davison |
| 25.5 | 1998-05-30 | 2 | 43°42'N / 97°26'W | 43°36'N / 97°24'W | 6.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 900K | 100K | Mccook |
| Brief Description: A tornado spawned by the same storm which produced the Spencer tornado damaged farms, crops, trees, and power lines in southern McCook County. | |||||||||||
| 25.7 | 2003-06-24 | 4 | 44°17'N / 97°46'W | 44°25'N / 97°43'W | 10.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 4 | 3.0M | 0 | Kingsbury |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed or heavily damaged all buildings, other structures, and vehicles in the small town of Manchester. Propane and fuel oil tanks were destroyed. Many homes were stripped to the foundation. Of the six residents of the town, four were injured and were transported to hospitals. Three were deemed to be seriously injured, but non of the injuries were life threatening. One of the injured was in a basement, one was blown out of the home on the way to the same basement, and two were in a mobile home which was destroyed. The tornado damaged crops, trees, and power lines south of Manchester prior to reaching the town. The tornado also heavily damaged several farms north of Manchester, including two farms on which several buildings including the homes were destroyed. One of the farms was a "Centennial Farm". About 12 cattle were killed and others injured. The amount of crop damage was not known. During its path, the tornado was observed to have multiple vortices. The tornado was observed and video taped by numerous storm chasers and researchers. Researchers also deployed weather sensors around the town of Manchester. One of these sensors recorded a 100 millibar pressure drop as the tornado passed. | |||||||||||
| 26.8 | 1973-04-19 | 2 | 44°00'N / 97°54'W | 44°12'N / 98°12'W | 20.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Sanborn |
| 27.5 | 2006-09-16 | 2 | 43°33'N / 97°30'W | 43°42'N / 97°17'W | 12.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Mccook |
| Brief Description: A tornado affected 3 farmsteads, destroying numerous outbuildings, damaging farm equipment and a home, killing at least 5 cattle and injuring others. The tornado also damaged a hog confinement building and overturned a semi trailer on Interstate 90. | |||||||||||
| 28.7 | 1993-05-07 | 3 | 43°36'N / 97°18'W | 43°42'N / 97°11'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Mccook |
| Brief Description: A tornado caused extensive damage in the Canistota area. Four metal grain storage bins were severely damaged and the roof was blown off the grain elevator. A large roof was blown off a building in Canistota resulting in rain seeping through the floors of the building. The roof blew into another building causing damage, and the flying debris took out power lines and transformers. The storm nearly totaled a farm including the house, and destroyed barns on other farms. Buildings were damaged in Montrose and a farm and metal buildings were lost on a farm east of Montrose. | |||||||||||
| 29.0 | 1954-05-27 | 2 | 43°37'N / 97°47'W | 43°38'N / 97°43'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Hanson |
| 29.0 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 44°25'N / 97°39'W | 44°26'N / 97°37'W | 2.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Kingsbury |
| Brief Description: A tornado caused heavy damage to farm buildings including homes. | |||||||||||
| 29.6 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 43°35'N / 97°33'W | 2.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Hutchinson | |
| Brief Description: A tornado carried a 60 X 120 foot metal pole barn into the tops of four grain bins causing extensive damage. The tornado also destroyed many small buildings and blew roofs off larger buildings on many farms in the area. | |||||||||||
| 29.6 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 43°35'N / 97°33'W | 1.00 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Mccook | |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down on several farms destroying two pole barns, a grain bin, and a barn roof. | |||||||||||
| 29.8 | 1968-06-20 | 3 | 43°41'N / 97°59'W | 43°39'N / 97°47'W | 9.90 Miles | 2667 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Davison |
| 29.8 | 1972-07-19 | 2 | 44°22'N / 97°52'W | 0.30 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Beadle | |
| 29.8 | 1956-06-29 | 2 | 44°00'N / 96°58'W | 44°00'N / 96°53'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lake |
| 30.0 | 1962-05-14 | 3 | 44°30'N / 98°14'W | 43°38'N / 98°01'W | 60.70 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Davison |
| 30.1 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°21'N / 97°10'W | 44°21'N / 97°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kingsbury |
| 30.4 | 1978-06-24 | 2 | 43°54'N / 98°07'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sanborn | |||
| 30.9 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°21'N / 97°07'W | 44°19'N / 97°04'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Brookings |
| 31.1 | 1992-08-09 | 2 | 43°52'N / 96°56'W | 3.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake | |
| 31.2 | 1962-04-26 | 2 | 43°43'N / 98°00'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Davison | |||
| 31.4 | 1970-06-15 | 3 | 44°09'N / 96°57'W | 44°10'N / 96°54'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lake | ||
| 32.6 | 1962-07-07 | 2 | 44°24'N / 97°54'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Beadle | |
| 32.6 | 1971-10-01 | 2 | 43°33'N / 97°23'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mccook | |||
| 33.2 | 1962-05-21 | 3 | 43°43'N / 98°03'W | 1.00 Mile | 167 Yards | 0 | 32 | 2.5M | 0 | Davison | |
| 33.5 | 1965-05-24 | 3 | 43°30'N / 97°30'W | 43°34'N / 97°20'W | 9.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mccook |
| 34.2 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°47'N / 96°56'W | 43°51'N / 96°51'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Minnehaha |
| 34.8 | 2006-08-24 | 2 | 44°19'N / 98°10'W | 44°15'N / 98°04'W | 7.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Beadle |
| Brief Description: A tornado severely damaged 3 houses and destroyed or damaged a barn and several smaller buildings on farmsteads. The tornado knocked down power poles, with a transformer on one of the poles starting a brief fire. A tree shelter belt and crops were damaged. The amount of crop damage was not known. | |||||||||||
| 35.3 | 1961-06-21 | 3 | 44°00'N / 97°05'W | 44°31'N / 96°43'W | 39.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Minnehaha |
| 35.4 | 2003-06-24 | 3 | 44°22'N / 98°02'W | 44°24'N / 98°00'W | 3.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Beadle |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed farm buildings and numerous trees, resulting in F3 damage southwest of Cavour. Homes and businesses within the town of Cavour were severely damaged (F2). Winds of 120 mph were measured by an anemometer on top of a grain elevator in Cavour. | |||||||||||
| 35.9 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°43'N / 98°09'W | 43°50'N / 98°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Davison |
| 35.9 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°43'N / 98°09'W | 43°50'N / 98°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Davison |
| 36.0 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 44°26'N / 97°54'W | 44°29'N / 97°54'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Beadle |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed or heavily damaged farm structures. | |||||||||||
| 36.5 | 1965-05-08 | 2 | 43°46'N / 96°49'W | 43°49'N / 96°54'W | 4.50 Miles | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay |
| 38.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.2 | 1965-05-20 | 2 | 44°27'N / 97°54'W | 44°35'N / 97°47'W | 10.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Beadle |
| 39.1 | 1962-05-12 | 2 | 43°32'N / 96°59'W | 43°41'N / 96°58'W | 10.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Minnehaha |
| 39.2 | 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 |
| 39.7 | 1956-06-29 | 2 | 44°00'N / 96°53'W | 44°02'N / 96°34'W | 15.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Moody |
| 40.3 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 43°42'N / 98°14'W | 43°47'N / 98°15'W | 6.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Davison |
| Brief Description: A tornado damaged crops, trees, and numerous buildings on several farms. On one farm the northeast corner of a home was heavily damaged, and several buildings including a barn, a grainery, and a machine shed were destroyed. Large trees were blown down. | |||||||||||
| 40.8 | 1986-07-18 | 2 | 44°34'N / 97°27'W | 44°35'N / 97°06'W | 14.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hamlin |
| 41.2 | 1954-06-18 | 2 | 43°25'N / 97°16'W | 43°28'N / 97°18'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Turner |
| 42.0 | 1987-07-11 | 2 | 43°50'N / 96°44'W | 43°50'N / 96°42'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Minnehaha |
| 42.2 | 1965-06-07 | 2 | 43°25'N / 97°20'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Turner | |||
| 43.1 | 2008-06-05 | 2 | 43°43'N / 96°46'W | 43°45'N / 96°44'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Minnehaha |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado caused damage to silos, farm buildings, power lines, and numerous trees. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms produced numerous events of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds over southeast South Dakota from late morning through the evening of June 5th. The thunderstorms also produced heavy rain which resulted in flash flooding at several locations. | |||||||||||
| 43.3 | 1956-05-10 | 2 | 43°25'N / 97°15'W | 1.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Turner | |
| 45.3 | 1953-05-29 | 2 | 44°39'N / 97°37'W | 44°41'N / 97°34'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clark |
| 45.5 | 1954-05-27 | 2 | 43°30'N / 98°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 137 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Davison | |
| 46.4 | 1962-07-07 | 2 | 44°42'N / 97°33'W | 44°40'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clark | ||
| 47.1 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 43°23'N / 97°08'W | 43°24'N / 97°08'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 0 | Turner |
| Brief Description: A tornado heavily damaged or destroyed numerous structures at the county fairgrounds, uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power lines, resulting in power outages which lasted up to a day. The tornado damaged other structures in Parker including homes and the county courthouse. One home was shifted off its foundation and received broken windows and damaged siding. Some of the damage resulted from falling trees or wind blown debris. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1964-06-22 | 2 | 43°29'N / 96°50'W | 43°38'N / 96°48'W | 10.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 48.4 | 1984-06-05 | 2 | 43°20'N / 97°46'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hutchinson | |||
| 49.4 | 1956-08-08 | 2 | 43°33'N / 96°46'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Minnehaha | |||
| 49.7 | 1966-05-22 | 2 | 43°24'N / 97°00'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Turner | |||
* 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.