Hughes County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Hughes County, SD right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 989 alerts that included Hughes County, roughly 99 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (238 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on July 28, 2025. 17 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 Hughes County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Hyde County, Lyman County, Sully County, Stanley County.
Hughes County alert history
Alert events that included Hughes County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 238 | 24 | September 6, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 133 | 9 | October 24, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 102 | 11 | August 24, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 90 | 8 | April 3, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 74 | 10 | November 6, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 53 | 5 | July 29, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 46 | 10 | September 11, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 37 | 4 | January 25, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 31 | 4 | March 12, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 28 | 1 | March 14, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 28 | 5 | May 15, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 19 | 1 | April 3, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 17 | 2 | March 12, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 13 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 13 | 0 | February 17, 2025 |
| Frost Advisory | 12 | 3 | October 14, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 10 | 1 | May 20, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 9 | 3 | June 27, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 9 | 1 | July 31, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 9 | 4 | July 2, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 4 | 0 | October 7, 2023 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 3 | 1 | July 26, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 3 | 0 | August 1, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 2 | 0 | June 20, 2025 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | November 10, 2022 |
| Tornado Warning | 2 | 0 | July 28, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 0 | December 22, 2022 |
Tornado history in Hughes County
17 tornadoes have been recorded in Hughes County since 1950, injuring 10 people. That ranks 55 of 66 counties in South Dakota. The most recent was on June 11, 2003 (rated F0).
Strongest tornadoes in Hughes County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 23, 1973 | F3 | Hughes County | 2.5 mi | 500 yd | 0 | 10 |
| June 12, 1993 | F2 | Hughes County | 1 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 30, 1992 | F2 | Hughes County | 0.3 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 16, 1997 | F1 | Hughes County | 2 mi | 73 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 12, 1993 | F1 | Hughes County | 1 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2003 | F0 | Sully County | 0.4 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 16, 1997 | F1 | Hughes County | 2 mi | 73 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 16, 1997 | F0 | Hughes County | 0.5 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 27, 1995 | F0 | Hughes County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 6, 1994 | F0 | Hughes County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Hughes County
- Population: 17,526 (2024 estimate)
- State: South Dakota
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 046065 (how to use it)