Sioux Falls, SD Tornado History — 135 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sioux Falls, SD had?
Sioux Falls has had 135 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 3 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sioux Falls?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sioux Falls was an EF0 on July 28, 2025.
When is tornado season in Sioux Falls?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sioux Falls, with 50 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Sioux Falls
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 28 total, averaging 1.4 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Sioux Falls since December 29, 2025
These are 3 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Sioux Falls. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Sioux Falls
1 fatality has been recorded within 25 miles of Sioux Falls since 1950, across 1 event. 27 injuries have been reported across all events. 1965 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F0 on June 7, 1965, which caused 1 fatality along a 0.1-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sioux Falls
About Tornadoes in Sioux Falls
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Sioux Falls takes its name from the quartzite ledges where the Big Sioux River tumbles across eastern South Dakota, a low-relief sweep of glacial till rising gently toward the Coteau des Prairies. Little in that open terrain blunts an advancing storm. When humid Gulf air streams north across the prairie in late spring and early summer, meeting drier air sliding off the High Plains beneath a vigorous jet stream, the Big Sioux valley becomes a natural corridor for rotating thunderstorms.
The area's history shows what those ingredients can do. On June 25, 1969, an F2 tracked roughly 29.3 miles across the region and injured 5 people. The year 1993 was harsher still: an F3 carved a 10-mile path on May 7, and on June 7 an F4 tore along a 54-mile track up to 800 yards wide, injuring 5 people and causing about 27.5 million dollars in damage.
The enhanced Fujita era has kept the pattern alive. On September 11, 2019, EF2 tornadoes cut short but damaging paths through the Sioux Falls area, and on July 29, 2025, an EF0 traced a 3.29-mile path nearby. The event list elsewhere on this page rests on the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, the authoritative source for storms across the surrounding counties.