Ward, SD Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Ward is about the same as South Dakota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Ward is higher than South Dakota average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #228
| Ward, SD | 0.03 |
| 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
| Ward, 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, #117
| Ward, SD | 146.41 |
| 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 2,910 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Ward, 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: | 44 | Cold: | 12 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 11 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 174 | Hail: | 1,431 | Heat: | 2 | Heavy Snow: | 51 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 10 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 47 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 937 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 40 | Winter Weather: | 81 |
| Other: | 68 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Ward, 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 Ward, SD.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 16.2 | 1982-07-11 | 3.6 | 5 | 44.01 | -96.72 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 51 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Ward, SD.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 12.9 | 1969-06-25 | 2 | 43°51'N / 96°24'W | 44°06'N / 96°23'W | 17.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pipestone |
| 16.1 | 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 |
| 17.7 | 1968-06-21 | 2 | 44°24'N / 96°28'W | 44°22'N / 96°08'W | 16.40 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 20.5 | 1955-04-19 | 2 | 44°17'N / 96°09'W | 44°25'N / 96°09'W | 9.20 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 22.4 | 1971-06-19 | 2 | 44°27'N / 96°39'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Brookings | |||
| 22.8 | 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 |
| 22.9 | 1970-06-15 | 3 | 44°09'N / 96°57'W | 44°10'N / 96°54'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lake | ||
| 24.6 | 1985-04-20 | 3 | 43°55'N / 96°05'W | 44°01'N / 96°00'W | 7.20 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Murray |
| 25.1 | 1985-04-20 | 3 | 43°54'N / 96°06'W | 43°55'N / 96°05'W | 0.80 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Pipestone |
| 25.3 | 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 |
| 25.5 | 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 |
| 26.1 | 1955-07-07 | 4 | 44°29'N / 96°12'W | 30.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 13 | 2.5M | 0 | Lyon | |
| 27.5 | 1969-06-25 | 2 | 43°40'N / 96°25'W | 43°51'N / 96°24'W | 12.30 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Rock |
| 28.3 | 1992-06-16 | 4 | 43°57'N / 95°54'W | 44°03'N / 95°58'W | 7.00 Miles | 160 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | Murray |
| 28.4 | 1971-06-19 | 2 | 44°38'N / 97°06'W | 44°22'N / 96°27'W | 36.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hamlin |
| 29.7 | 1986-07-18 | 2 | 44°34'N / 96°42'W | 44°35'N / 96°29'W | 17.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Deuel |
| 30.3 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°55'N / 95°59'W | 43°56'N / 95°54'W | 4.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Murray |
| 30.7 | 1956-06-29 | 2 | 43°44'N / 96°16'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Rock | |||
| 30.7 | 1992-08-09 | 2 | 43°52'N / 96°56'W | 3.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake | |
| 31.0 | 1992-06-16 | 5 | 43°51'N / 96°00'W | 44°00'N / 95°51'W | 13.00 Miles | 280 Yards | 1 | 35 | 25.0M | 0 | Murray |
| 31.2 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°06'N / 95°49'W | 44°12'N / 95°51'W | 9.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Murray |
| 31.6 | 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 |
| 31.9 | 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 |
| 32.1 | 1992-06-16 | 5 | 43°48'N / 96°01'W | 43°51'N / 96°00'W | 3.00 Miles | 280 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Nobles |
| 32.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 33.5 | 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 |
| 33.9 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°12'N / 95°51'W | 44°14'N / 95°43'W | 3.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lyon |
| 34.7 | 1971-06-19 | 2 | 44°34'N / 96°52'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Deuel | |||
| 36.1 | 1998-03-29 | 2 | 43°47'N / 95°57'W | 43°47'N / 95°57'W | 0.10 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 400K | 0 | Nobles |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed buildings...trees in shelter belts...and numerous pieces of farm equipment...and killed two cattle. | |||||||||||
| 36.2 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°00'N / 95°51'W | 44°09'N / 95°38'W | 13.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Murray |
| 36.2 | 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 |
| 36.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 36.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 43°59'N / 95°46'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Murray | |
| 36.6 | 1968-06-13 | 5 | 44°10'N / 95°45'W | 44°12'N / 95°42'W | 2.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Murray |
| 36.8 | 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 |
| 37.2 | 1998-03-29 | 2 | 43°48'N / 95°54'W | 43°48'N / 95°54'W | 0.10 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Nobles |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed farm buildings...uprooted numerous trees...and overturned a tractor trailer. | |||||||||||
| 37.3 | 1965-05-24 | 2 | 44°00'N / 97°11'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake | |||
| 37.3 | 1957-06-10 | 2 | 43°51'N / 97°05'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake | |||
| 41.0 | 1968-06-13 | 5 | 44°12'N / 95°42'W | 44°16'N / 95°35'W | 6.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 9 | 150 | 2.5M | 0 | Lyon |
| 41.1 | 2000-07-25 | 2 | 43°38'N / 96°03'W | 43°40'N / 96°00'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Nobles |
| Brief Description: A tornado damaged buildings, vehicles, and trees on a farm. The tornado destroyed the west side of the house, blew three grain bins away and wrapped them around trees. The tornado also blew the top of a barn off, killing at least 4 calves inside. | |||||||||||
| 42.7 | 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 |
| 43.3 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°19'N / 95°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lyon | |
| 44.0 | 1968-06-13 | 5 | 44°16'N / 95°35'W | 44°18'N / 95°36'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Redwood | ||
| 44.4 | 1956-08-08 | 2 | 43°33'N / 96°46'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Minnehaha | |||
| 44.8 | 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 |
| 45.5 | 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 |
| 45.8 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 43°28'N / 96°29'W | 43°31'N / 96°27'W | 1.50 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Lyon |
| Brief Description: Border Crosser, went into Minnehaha County, SD at 1500CST. Intense thunderstorms developed ahead of an approaching cold front. This line was the first wave of storms to form. The bulk of the severe weather passed to the west and north of Iowa. One very large cell formed over the northwest corner of the state. It produced a tornado northwest of Larchwood, in the northwest corner of Lyon County. Buildings were damaged on three farms. A total of 10 buildings were destroyed as well as two silos. On one of the farms, the owner watched as a 1500 pound fertilizer tank was lifted 50 feet into the air and blew past his window. Total damage to the three farmsteads affected amounted to about $200,000. The only injury that occurred was to a bull on one of the farms. The bull sustained a broken leg. The tornado passed into southeast South Dakota shortly after this damage occurred. It was a border crossing tornado. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1954-06-19 | 3 | 43°29'N / 96°43'W | 43°30'N / 96°40'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lincoln | ||
| 49.0 | 1956-05-10 | 2 | 43°37'N / 95°48'W | 43°42'N / 95°43'W | 6.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Nobles |
| 49.5 | 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 |
| 49.7 | 1978-07-06 | 2 | 43°28'N / 96°24'W | 43°26'N / 96°07'W | 14.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lyon |
* 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.