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Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota

28 topographic sheets cover 14 settlements here.

South Dakota within the United States
Oglala Lakota County within South Dakota

What the record shows

  • 118 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 14 populated places in this county; 14 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

7,970 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 7,970 of them, burning about 237,577 acres. 408 started naturally and 162 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning2310
Misuse of fire by a minor1560
Fireworks1235
Equipment and vehicle use719
Other causes689
Missing data/not specified/undetermined602
Natural408
Smoking176
Arson/incendiarism162
Recreation and ceremony54
Power generation/transmission/distribution49
Firearms and explosives use4
Railroad operations and maintenance2

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
31 August 2012Natural28,800 acresPine Ridge AgencyWELLNITZ
7 July 2007Fireworks22,454 acresPine Ridge AgencySTAMPEDE
26 July 2016Natural18,815 acresPine Ridge AgencyFREEMAN
17 September 2000Natural10,226 acresPine Ridge AgencyDECKER
2 September 2000Natural8,599 acresPine Ridge AgencyPEPPER CR.
24 April 2012Natural7,665 acresPine Ridge AgencyWICK
18 August 2002Misuse of fire by a minor7,505 acresPine Ridge AgencyWANNA
12 August 2006Natural7,500 acresPine Ridge AgencyRED WATER

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1956 to 2025

60 of 676 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 676 reports for this county, causing 3 deaths, 69 injuries and about $5,459,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail326
Thunderstorm Wind296
Tornado22
Flood17
Flash Flood9
Wildfire3
Lightning1
Heavy Rain1
Funnel Cloud1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1999Tornado (F2)Slim Butte1 killed, 54 hurt, $3,200,000This was the first of two tornadoes that swept through the town of Oglala. Spotters and law enforcement reported that the tornado went up and down several times. It remained on the ground just prior to hitting Oglala and then dissipated as it moved to the northeast. There was one fatality with 54 people receiving medical care for injuries. A church and three of its surrounding buildings were destroyed, 22 mobile homes destroyed, 30 to 50 buildings damaged and a lot of hail damage to roofs and vehicles.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindOglala1 killed, 5 hurt, $20,000no account filed
June 2001LightningPine Ridge1 killed, 1 hurt, $1,000no account filed
July 2012Thunderstorm WindOglala3 hurt, $150,000Two mobile homes were rolled and completely destroyed, with all their contents scattered by the wind. A stick-built house lost a large portion of its roof. Twelve transformer poles were broken.
June 1984Tornado (F1)not stated2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
July 1998Flash FloodManderson2 hurtHEAVY RAINS WASHED OUT A PORTION OF BIA ROAD #33 AND TWO AGENCY OFFICIERS DROVE INTO THE WASH OUT.
May 2003Thunderstorm WindPine Ridge1 hurt, $20,000Strong winds blew over and destroyed a mobile home near Slim Butte. An 18 year old man inside the home was injured. Another mobile home nearby had its roof ripped off.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSharps Corner1 hurtExtensive roof and structural damage occurred at the Porcupine Dialysis Center, with one minor injury.
March 2019FloodSlim Butte$500,000Moderate to major flooding occurred along the White River in Oglala Lakota County. Runoff from melting snow into the White River caused river ice to break up and jam. Additional flooding also occurred along White Clay Creek upstream and downstream from Oglala Dam due to the snowmelt.
August 2013Thunderstorm Wind(Ien)Pine Ridge Arpt$300,000Strong wind gusts knocked down a total of 80 transmission and distribution power poles from 1.5 miles west to two miles east of the Wolf Creek School. The school roof and some mobile homes were also damaged.
May 2019FloodRed Shirt$100,000Runoff from heavy rain caused overland flooding and flooding along the White River, White Clay Creek, American Horse Creek, and smaller tributaries. Water covered several roads, including American Horse Creek Road southwest of Kyle. The White River crested two feet over flood stage (15 feet) at the Nebraska-South Dakota State Line and just over two feet above flood stage (19 feet) near Oglala.
August 2014HailOglala$100,000Large hail, with a few hailstones baseball to softball size, caused property damage in Oglala.
August 2004Tornado (F1)Batesland$100,000A tornado touched down in the town of Batesland. It tore the roof off a house, blew down a grain bin, damaged another roof and the school gymnasium.
June 2013HailRed Shirt$100,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRockyford$60,000A downburst, with winds estimated at 75 mph, hit just west of Rockyford. The winds destroyed 3 mobile homes and damaged 4 others. The downburst occurred from a storm that tracked across northern Shannon County. The RAWS at the Badlands National Park, 2 miles north of Rockyford, measured a wind gust of 67 mph from the southwest.
June 2015HailBatesland$50,000Hail broke numerous houses and vehicle windows in Batesland.
June 2015HailSharps Corner$50,000Large hail damaged vehicles and house windows, siding, and roofs.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Kyle$50,000Three mobile homes destroyed. This tornado moved into Jackson County before dissipating. Path width and length estimated from law enforcement report.
May 1993Thunderstorm WindKyle$50,000High winds from a severe thunderstorm blew a mobile home over on a road and also severely damaged a house. The roof of the house blew off and brought down a power line. About 40 houses had no electrical service for nearly two hours.
June 2015HailPorcupine$50,000no account filed
August 2014HailPine Ridge$50,000no account filed
August 2012HailRockyford$50,000no account filed
June 2010Thunderstorm WindKyle$30,000The combination of hail and wind damaged some automobiles.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindRockyford$30,0002 mobile homes were destroyed by strong winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindPorcupine$25,000Strong winds to 80 mph damaged roofs of several buildings, including the clinic; sheds, and trees in an area about one and a half mile around the community.
June 2007Tornado (EF1)Porcupine$25,000A tornado touched down about nine miles south of Kyle at 310 pm MDT, just west of American Horse Creek Road. It traveled to the northeast, crossed into Bennett County, and dissipated six miles southeast of Kyle at 335 pm MDT. Several power poles were broken and trees were blown over along American Horse Creek Road. A mobile home was also damaged.
August 2013HailRed Shirt$25,000no account filed
August 2004HailManderson$25,000no account filed
August 1956Tornado (F3)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindOglala$20,000A trailer house was rolled over by the wind.
May 2015FloodOglala$20,000Record flooding occurred along the White River from the Nebraska state line to Badlands National Park. The White River was over 200 yards wide and at least two feet deep on BIA Highway 41 north of Oglala, where a vehicle was swept off the highway and the passengers had to be rescued. BIA Highway 32 near Slim Butte was washed out and a culvert on BIA Highway 27 washed out and the road was damaged north of Rockyford.
June 2015HailPorcupine$20,000Hail to golf ball size damaged vehicles, trees, and a house.
June 2011HailOglala$20,000Large hail damaged several automobiles.
May 2003Thunderstorm WindPine Ridge$20,000Strong winds and hail broke windows and damaged siding, roofs, and skirting of 16 mobile homes.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Pine Ridge$20,000A mobile home was destroyed by the tornado. Otherwise it remained in rural areas and was short lived. Path width and length estimated from law enforcement reports.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindPorcupine$10,000A newly-built house was shifted off its foundation by strong wind gusts.
August 2013Thunderstorm Wind(Ien)Pine Ridge Arpt$10,000Strong wind gusts blew a tree into a house and destroyed two mobile homes.
August 2011HailKyle$10,000Most of the hail was golf ball size or smaller.
May 2011HailOglala$10,000no account filed
May 2018HailPorcupine$5,000The combination of hail and wind broke all windows on the west side of the house.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindOglala$5,000Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindPine Ridge$5,000Trees were blown down at the Pine Ridge IHS Hospital.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindRockyford$5,000Wind gusts blew down several power poles.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindPine Ridge$5,000Strong winds tore the roof off a mobile home.
July 2013HailOglala$5,000no account filed
July 2013HailSlim Butte$5,000no account filed
July 2013HailOglala$5,000no account filed
July 2011HailOglala$5,000no account filed
August 2011HailRed Shirt$5,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRed Shirt$5,000no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindRockyford$5,000no account filed
May 2003HailOglala$5,000no account filed
May 1994HailPine Ridge$5,000no account filed
May 1994HailPine Ridge$5,000no account filed
July 2019Thunderstorm WindKyle$3,000The strong winds tore sheet metal off a roof and broke large tree limbs.
July 1972Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
August 2017Flash FloodRockyford$2,000Heavy rain caused flash flooding along Porcupine Creek from Rockyford to Porcupine. A family took shelter in St. Paul Church south of Sharps Corner and was stranded overnight before being rescued.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindBatesland$2,000The combination of wind and hail flattened corn and wheat crops and broke windows of a residence.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindOglala$2,000Portion of a greenhouse roof was blown off.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindOglala$1,000Winds blew over a small shed.

Every populated place in the county

14

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.

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