Hand County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Hand County, SD right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 998 alerts that included Hand County, roughly 100 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (245 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on July 2, 2026. 45 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Hand County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Hyde County, Buffalo County, Spink County, Jerauld County.
Hand County alert history
Alert events that included Hand County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 245 | 35 | August 30, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 115 | 10 | October 24, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 98 | 6 | April 3, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 94 | 9 | August 24, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 74 | 16 | November 7, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 50 | 5 | July 29, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 49 | 3 | January 25, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 34 | 8 | September 11, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 31 | 1 | March 14, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 24 | 2 | April 3, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 23 | 3 | March 12, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 23 | 1 | June 5, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 20 | 5 | May 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 17 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 15 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 15 | 1 | July 2, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 14 | 2 | October 14, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 10 | 2 | March 12, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 9 | 1 | May 20, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 9 | 2 | June 9, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 6 | 0 | June 20, 2024 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 6 | 0 | June 21, 2024 |
| Freeze Watch | 4 | 0 | October 7, 2023 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 3 | 0 | June 20, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 3 | 1 | July 26, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | November 10, 2022 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Dust Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | May 12, 2025 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 1 | 0 | April 9, 2020 |
Tornado history in Hand County
45 tornadoes have been recorded in Hand County since 1950, killing 1 people and injuring 12. That ranks 11 of 66 counties in South Dakota. The most recent was on July 25, 2023 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Hand County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 24, 2006 | F3 | Hand County | 24.5 mi | 500 yd | 0 | 2 |
| July 3, 1971 | F3 | Hand County | 0.1 mi | 87 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 30, 2020 | EF2 | Hand County | 1.6 mi | 300 yd | 1 | 0 |
| July 3, 1971 | F2 | Hand County | 20.1 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 24, 2006 | F2 | Hand County | 5 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 25, 2023 | EF0 | Hand County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 30, 2020 | EF2 | Hand County | 1.6 mi | 300 yd | 1 | 0 |
| July 18, 2018 | EF0 | Hand County | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 16, 2018 | EF0 | Hand County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 16, 2018 | EF0 | Hand County | 0.4 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Hand County
- Population: 3,097 (2024 estimate)
- State: South Dakota
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 046059 (how to use it)