Watertown, SD Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Watertown is about the same as South Dakota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Watertown is about the same as South Dakota average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #323
| Watertown, SD | 0.01 |
| 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
| Watertown, 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, #172
| Watertown, SD | 117.74 |
| 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 2,128 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Watertown, 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: | 45 | Cold: | 13 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 9 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 106 | Hail: | 1,058 | Heat: | 2 | Heavy Snow: | 45 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 7 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 39 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 671 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 38 | Winter Weather: | 43 |
| Other: | 50 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Watertown, SD.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Watertown, SD.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Watertown, SD.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 30 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Watertown, SD.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 0.8 | 1983-07-18 | 3 | 44°54'N / 97°10'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Codington | |
| 2.8 | 1979-06-19 | 2 | 44°54'N / 97°06'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Codington | |||
| 9.1 | 1981-07-22 | 2 | 44°47'N / 97°06'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hamlin | |||
| 10.2 | 1962-08-06 | 2 | 45°03'N / 97°13'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Codington | |||
| 12.5 | 1984-05-12 | 3 | 44°50'N / 97°30'W | 44°48'N / 97°15'W | 13.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Codington |
| 19.7 | 1964-06-08 | 2 | 44°58'N / 97°33'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clark | |||
| 20.4 | 1964-06-08 | 2 | 44°47'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clark | |||
| 22.8 | 1984-05-12 | 3 | 44°53'N / 97°44'W | 44°50'N / 97°30'W | 14.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clark |
| 23.8 | 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 |
| 24.5 | 1962-07-07 | 2 | 44°42'N / 97°33'W | 44°40'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clark | ||
| 27.1 | 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 |
| 27.6 | 1971-06-19 | 2 | 44°34'N / 96°52'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Deuel | |||
| 27.7 | 1964-06-08 | 2 | 45°05'N / 97°40'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clark | |
| 31.1 | 1961-06-21 | 3 | 44°59'N / 97°59'W | 44°33'N / 97°32'W | 37.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 7 | 250K | 0 | Clark |
| 31.4 | 1955-08-28 | 2 | 45°07'N / 96°35'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Grant | |
| 33.9 | 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 |
| 35.3 | 1951-07-08 | 2 | 45°22'N / 96°50'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Roberts | |||
| 35.7 | 1963-07-26 | 2 | 44°57'N / 97°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 1000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clark | |
| 36.0 | 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 |
| 38.6 | 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 |
| 38.7 | 1979-08-03 | 2 | 45°24'N / 96°52'W | 45°18'N / 96°28'W | 20.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Roberts |
| 39.9 | 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 |
| 40.3 | 1971-06-19 | 2 | 44°27'N / 96°39'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Brookings | |||
| 40.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 43.2 | 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 |
| 44.4 | 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 |
| 46.6 | 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 |
| 48.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 48.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 48.2 | 1956-10-29 | 2 | 45°31'N / 96°40'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Big Stone | |||
* 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.