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Bowdle, South Dakota

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Bowdle Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57428. The Survey maps it on the Bowdle quadrangle. 470 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,998 feet above sea level.

Bowdle within Edmunds County

On record in Bowdle

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Bowdle fell from 502 to 470 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010502
2020470-32 (-6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

14 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Bowdle between 2006 and 2019, burning about 2,023 acres in total. 3 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Natural3
Equipment and vehicle use3
Debris and open burning1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 2017Naturalunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionHOFFMAN
6 August 2019Naturalunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGEIER FIRE
8 July 2017Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionSCHOCK
18 July 2006Natural2,000 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
7 June 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresEdmunds CountyRR
7 June 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresEdmunds CountyRR 2
7 May 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresEdmunds CountyHAAR
17 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionBOSCHEE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Edmunds County

Storms near this place

60 of 88 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bowdle in 88 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 42 hail, 26 thunderstorm wind, 12 flood, 4 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2019FloodBowdle$39,600no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Estimated seventy-five mph winds.
March 2019FloodBowdle-Many roads were flooded throughout Edmunds county with many of them closed. Also, several structures were threatened by the high water.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBowdle-A small outbuilding was blown down.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Ten power poles along with many trees were downed by estimated ninety mph winds.
September 2017Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Sixty mph winds along with ping pong size hail caused broken windows along with stripping some corn.
May 2016Tornado (EF0)Bowdle-The first weak tornado touched down quickly in an open field southwest of Bowdle.
May 2016Tornado (EF0)Bowdle-A second weak tornado touched down briefly in an open field.
August 2012HailBowdle-Golf ball size hail caused damage to vehicles.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Sixty mph winds downed some large branches.
March 2011FloodBowdle-Many county and township roads were flooded and damaged in Edmunds county including U.S. Highway 12. The flooding of U.S. Highway 12 severely affected the busy highway traffic. Several roads were also closed across the county.
April 2011FloodBowdle-Snowmelt runoff flooded and damaged many roads throughout Edmunds county. The flooding of U.S. Highway 12 caused the most impact to travel. The frequently traveled east/west highway was eventually closed with traffic being detoured.
May 2011FloodBowdle-Previous snowmelt water along with above normal May rainfall kept many roads flooded and damaged throughout Edmunds county. The flooding of U.S. Highway 12 caused the most impact to travel. The highway remained closed near Roscoe with the traffic being detoured.
June 2011FloodBowdle-A very wet spring along with much above normal June rainfall kept many roads flooded and damaged throughout Edmunds county. The flooding of U.S. Highway 12 caused the most impact to travel. The highway remained closed near Roscoe with the traffic being detoured. The flooding continued into July.
May 2010Tornado (EF4)Bowdle-An EF2 tornado in eastern Walworth county crossed into western Edmunds county and intensified into a large EF4 tornado as it struck several farms in its path. At the first farm, several large cottonwood trees were uprooted along with damage to several trailers. Three grain bins were also destroyed with debris located several hundred yards to the northeast. The residence suffered some shingle and antenna damage. The tornado then tracked northeast to a second farm where several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed along with widespread tree damage. The main residence at this location suffered no damage. Several grain cars were also rolled about 100 yards into the trees behind the house.||The large tornado continued to track northeast to a third farm to the north of Bowdle. The main residence suffered major damage to walls with part of the roof structure removed. Widespread tree damage was sustained with many of the |trees completely debarked with only the stumps of the largest branches |remaining. Two large garages were completely destroyed with the |concrete slab wiped clean. The vehicles in one garage were |rolled or tossed from 25 to 100 yards away. It is estimated that one |vehicle flew through the air 75 to 100 yards resting in the tree |shelter belt to the north of the residence. Several other outbuildings were completely destroyed.||The tornado then toppled six to eight metal power transmission towers as it moved to the north of the farm. One tower was sheared off from the concrete footings and traveled an estimated 400 yards. Ground scouring was visible along the path of these towers.||The large tornado continued to track east crossing over State Highway 47 where a state radio tower was toppled. The tornado lifted shortly thereafter. The highest wind speeds were estimated to be from 166 to 200 mph.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Eighty mph winds leveled a silo, damaged two barns, and uprooted many trees.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Many branches were downed in Bowdle.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindBowdle-Strong winds brought down many tree branches.
July 2001Tornado (F2)Bowdle-A tornado touched down and heavily damaged a house. The attached garage was totally destroyed with two vehicles badly damaged. The metal roof was ripped off of the barn with three outbuildings destroyed. Five telephone/power poles were broken off with 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile of power lines down. Also, a small windmill was wrapped around a power pole.
June 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2025Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
August 2025Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
August 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2025HailBowdle-no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
April 2023FloodBowdle-no account filed
May 2022Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
May 2021Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
July 2020HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2020HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2020HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
June 2019FloodBowdle-no account filed
August 2019HailBowdle-no account filed
May 2019FloodBowdle-no account filed
September 2018HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2017HailBowdle-no account filed
September 2017HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2014HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2014HailBowdle-no account filed
June 2014HailBowdle-no account filed
September 2013Thunderstorm WindBowdle-no account filed
August 2012HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2012HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2012HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2012HailBowdle-no account filed
August 2012HailBowdle-no account filed
July 2011HailBowdle-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Edmunds County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Gretna7.4 miles7
Hosmer12.9 miles7
Roscoe16.7 miles7
Loyalton22.9 miles7
Beebe24.3 miles7
Ipswich33.1 miles7
Powell34.9 miles7
Plainview Colony35.4 miles7

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on BowdleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2291276The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1254024. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.

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.