BlockClear Lake, South Dakota
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Clear Lake Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57226. The Survey maps it on the Clear Lake South quadrangle. 1,218 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,834 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Clear Lake
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
Deuel County Courthouse and Jaillisted 1976
Population over time
2 figuresClear Lake fell from 1,273 to 1,218 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,273 | |
| 2020 | 1,218 | -55 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 8 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1953 USGS Watertown quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Watertown quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1970 USGS Clear Lake South quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Clear Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
19 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 19 fires within 5 miles of Clear Lake between 1999 and 2015, burning about 2,381 acres in total. None 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department | NOT NAMED 2 |
| 28 June 2002 | Fireworks | under an acre | Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department | CITY PARK |
| 22 May 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | CITY LAND FILL |
| 13 May 2009 | Debris and open burning | 95 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 5 April 2001 | Other causes | 1.0 acres | Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department | NONE GIVEN #9 |
| 22 April 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department | NONE GIVEN #10 |
| 21 April 2009 | Debris and open burning | 57 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 17 April 2008 | Debris and open burning | 22 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Clear Lake: 4 producers, 1 past producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafourek Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Dave Gustafson & Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Deuel County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Veron Lawrence Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
39 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clear Lake in 39 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 17 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 6 tornado, 2 funnel cloud. The reports record 2 injuries. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | Tornado (EF3) | Clear Lake | 2 hurt | A tornado developed east of Clear Lake, South Dakota, on the evening of June 28, 2025. Around 8:10 p.m., the tornado was still in a disorganized stage but was strong enough to intermittently touch down, rip a roof and door off of a barn and flip irrigation pivots on the north side of Highway 22 about two and a half miles east of Clear Lake. By approximately 8:14 p.m., the tornado crossed to the south side of Highway 22 and began to intensify. From there, it tracked slowly eastward, frequently changing appearance. Numerous reports, photos, and videos captured the tornado shapeshifting, including a distinct wobble or dancing motion. During this time, the tornado passed over a gravel pit, where large trees were snapped and windows were broken out of heavy machinery. Continuing east, the tornado reached 483rd Avenue, where it caused additional tree damage. Around 8:26 to 8:27 p.m., it crossed back to the north side of Highway 22, briefly stalled, and brought down a power pole. The tornado then picked up speed and continued east toward a farmstead on 484th Avenue, arriving around 8:31 p.m. The core of the tornado passed just north of the main house, but the property still sustained significant damage. A portion of the house roof panels were ripped off and windows were broken out. A machine shed was completely destroyed, along with a garage and another outbuilding. The shelterbelt on the north side of the property was heavily damaged, with tree trunks snapped, trees uprooted, and large branches broken. Around 8:32 p.m., the tornado continued east, passing north of another farmstead where a single shed was destroyed. Then, at approximately 8:34 p.m., the tornado directly struck a farmstead. Evidence of ground scouring was visible in the field before the tornado reached the property. As it approached, it tore through a wide shelterbelt, snapping and uprooting trees and completely blocking the driveway with debris. The house, which included the original structure that was over a century old combined with a newer addition, was completely wiped from its foundation. The debris was thrown west. The residents sheltered in the basement, where hay bales were lofted into the air and landed on top of them. Despite the extreme damage, only two non-life-threatening injuries were reported. A garage and machine shed directly east of the house were also completely swept off their slabs. An SUV and a half-ton Chevy Silverado pickup were inside the garage. Another SUV was parked outside. The two SUVs were lofted and ended up wedged in trees approximately 50 to 60 yards northeast of where the garage once stood. Many of those trees exhibited debarking. The half-ton Chevy Silverado pickup was hurled nearly 300 yards northeast. The truck's rear axle was torn completely off during flight, with no evidence of the vehicle rolling or tumbling until it hit the ground. A horse trailer and other farm equipment in and next to the machine shed were also thrown into the shelterbelt. On the south side of the property, two empty metal grain bins were wiped clean from their foundations. A concrete foundation barn was dismantled, a pole barn collapsed, and an empty concrete silo was completely swept from its slab. As the track continued northeast, fence posts were sheared off at ground level, and large pieces of debris were driven into the crop ground with extreme force. A trail of debris was scattered into the adjacent fields. The tornado track turned more to the north-northeast as it crossed 181st Street. More tree damage was observed, with trunks snapped and large branches down. Debris was caught in fence lines, and hay was seen hanging from power lines in the area. The tornado crossed 180th street and somewhere around 8:45 p.m. it began to rope out, swirling over an open field and tracking back to the southwest. It finally lifted around 8:49 p.m., concluding a nearly 40-minute track that stretched roughly 9.71 miles. The tornado was rated as a high-end EF3 with wind speeds estimated between 155 to 165 mph. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Clear Lake | $10,000 | A road partly washed out from flash flooding due to heavy rainfall. Water was still over the road the next day. |
| October 2021 | Lightning | Clear Lake | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | $5,000 | Thunderstorm Winds blew down large tree branches. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | The Deuel County Emergency Manager estimated 60 to 70 mph winds cause tree damage in the town of Clear Lake. These winds would also take down a residences partly constructed garage. |
| August 2025 | Flood | Clear Lake | - | A trained spotter reported that Hidewood creek came out of banks due to heavy rain over the last several days. |
| August 2025 | Flood | Clear Lake | - | Photos posted to social media show several inches of standing water within the town of Clear Lake. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | The roof of a pole barn was destroyed, and some poles were snapped with debris spread to the north. |
| May 2022 | Tornado (EF2) | Clear Lake | - | The first indications of tornado damage were just east of Interstate 29 near 186th Street. A farm had mangled tree branches through the tops of the shelter belt, a destroyed outbuilding, a west facing garage door and garage rafters bowed in and three pickups with the back windows broken out. The track continued a quarter mile to the north, where a second farm had uprooted trees, complete destruction of a machine shed and a collapsed barn. The main residence also had loss of shingles and the loss of a small portion of roof panels. The track continued northeast. The next residence to sustain damage was near 772nd Ave and 181st St. The tornado entered the farm from the west where it uprooted several trees and broke branches off the tops of others, a third of a roughly 300 foot long milk barn was leveled, one stave silo completely collapsed and a second was razed about half way to the base. Further east on the property a shelter belt was managed and an empty grain bin was tossed east northeast about a quarter mile into the neighboring field. An outbuilding south of the property also collapsed. Just shy of a mile to the northeast along 473rd Ave a machine shed buckled on the southwest side. Another quarter mile to the northeast another farm sustained significant damage. On this farm a tornado path was noted through the trees on the west side of house. Trees were uprooted and one tree twisted counter clockwise. On the main residence eight sheets of plywood were ripped off the roof and insulation was blown out of the attic. Roof material was found in trees and debris spread 200 or 300 yards to the north northeast. Residents were in the basement at the time and noticed that their ears popped. They also noted that water was drained from toilets and plumbing traps after the storm. Power lines were downed near 474th Ave. Another several miles to the northeast, near 179th Street and 475th Ave, another farm sustained significant damage. On the south side of the property several pieces of farm equipment were moved, tipped or tossed and a grain bin was dented. Trees were uprooted south of the house and the house sustained window damage. Walls collapsed on both a barn and machine shed on the property. Another smaller shed was also destroyed. A path of debris was noted about a quarter mile northeast of the property. The last property damaged by the tornado was located at 177th Street and US Highway 15. This property had tree damage and lost a shed. |
| August 2020 | Tornado (EF0) | Clear Lake | - | A very brief tornado touched down causing mainly tree damage at a residence. Large tree branches were broken and a few trees were uprooted. Some minor damage was also done to sheet metal on a small building. The track continued north of the residence, roughly one-half mile through a corn field. |
| August 2020 | Tornado (EF0) | Clear Lake | - | A very brief tornado touched down in a farm yard. One small shed was completely destroyed, pulling the anchor posts out of the ground. One hay shed roof was destroyed and was tossed into the side of the barn. The barn lean to roof was partially damaged as well. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Estimated ninety mph winds caused significant tree damage including trees uprooted and snapped at the base. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Estimated seventy mph winds flipped a pontoon boat along with downing branches and trees. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Sixty mph winds knocked down a tree. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Many trees were downed in and around Clear Lake by 80 mph winds. At a farm just to the northeast of Clear Lake, a 220 foot milking barn was destroyed, half of another barn was destroyed, and several pieces of machinery were damaged. Also, a silo toppled over and killed two horses. At another farm northeast of Clear Lake, part of a machine shed roof was torn off, an irrigation unit was tipped over and severely damaged, and trees were uprooted. Just to the northwest of Clear Lake, high winds and hail broke windows out of a home and severely damaged the siding. In Clear Lake, several buildings and some semi trailers were damaged at a business by the high winds. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Seventy mph winds blew a semi onto its side on Interstate-29. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Large tree branches were downed by sixty mph winds. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Winds to 70 mph downed two large trees at a home west of Clear Lake. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Winds gusting to 70 mph blew a large tree down across a road near Clear Lake. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Winds gusting to 60 mph brought many tree branches down in Clear Lake. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Winds gusting to 70 mph brought several trees down in Clear Lake. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | Winds gusting to 60 mph downed several large tree branches in Clear Lake. |
| July 2016 | Funnel Cloud | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Clear Lake | - | no account filed |
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.
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 Clear Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2109765 | The 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 1254396. 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.
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.