Lake Andes, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1990. It stands in White Swan Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57356. The Survey maps it on the Lake Andes quadrangle. 710 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,480 feet above sea level.
On record in Lake Andes
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 3 records
Charles Mix County Courthouselisted 1993
Engel Hotellisted 2012
Lake Andes Carnegie Librarylisted 2000
Population over time
2 figuresLake Andes fell from 879 to 710 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 | 879 | |
| 2020 | 710 | -169 (-19%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 11 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.
- 1955 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Lake Andes quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1977 USGS Lake Andes quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Lake Andes quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1990 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
83 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 83 fires within 5 miles of Lake Andes between 1999 and 2020, burning about 929 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 7 were 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/undetermined | 31 |
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Fireworks | 13 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 5 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Yankton Agency | LAR12 |
| 25 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Yankton Agency | WALAKE |
| 16 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 11 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Yankton Agency | LAR 13 |
| 10 September 2005 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 6 August 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Yankton Agency | A0805018 |
| 31 August 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Yankton Agency | A0805020 |
| 28 August 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Yankton Agency | A0805019 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
52 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lake Andes in 52 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 35 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 flash flood. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Lake Andes | $1,000,000 | Heavy rainfall of up to 6 inches caused widespread flash flooding of numerous roads, residences, fields, and other low areas, causing damage to and forcing evacuation of numerous residences. Many of the flooded roads were washed out. The Yankton Sioux reservation including the town of Marty was especially hard hit, with the tribal headquarters made unusable, and 63 families displaced from their homes.Flood damage was estimated at one million dollars by the county emergency manager. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged trees and power lines, with numerous power poles reported down. Farm machinery and roofs were damaged, including a roof blown off a home. A mobile home was overturned. Crop damage was reported, but the amount of crop damage was not known. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Lake Andes | $50,000 | A tornado damaged or destroyed several buildings at an abandoned farm, and also caused tree damage. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $10,000 | Extensive tree damage was reported throughout Lake Andes. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large limbs broken off. Some vehicles were dented by tree debris. Power lines were blown down and a power outage was reported. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including large limbs blown down. A car window was smashed by one falling limb. The winds also blew down power lines, causing a power outage. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a camper and deck. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a trailer house. |
| July 2001 | Lightning | Lake Andes | $1,000 | Lightning struck and splintered a large and old tree in the yard of a home. Most of the tree remained standing, but it was feared the tree would not survive. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | - | Thunderstorm wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Hail, mostly dime-sized, covered roads. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Storm produced hail up to penny size. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Lake Andes | - | Several inches of water over 382nd Avenue starting a half mile north of Lake Andes. The water extends over a quarter mile stretch. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including branches blown down. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 4 inch diameter branches blown down. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Large hail whitened the ground. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Large hail was accompanied by very heavy rain. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Large hail caused damage to vehicles, windows, and crops. The amount of damage was not known. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | Large hail covered the ground and caused severe crop damage in a 15 mile wide area over southern and eastern Charles Mix County. About 60,000 acres of crops were damaged or destroyed. Damage to soybean crops was severe, but in many places the beans were replanted as it was still early enough in the growing season. Much of the corn that was damaged was reported to be recovering in the weeks after the storm. Wheat crops were in some cases totally destroyed, with beans being planted in place. Alfalfa and hay were also damaged. An estimate of the crop damage was not available due to the ongoing recovery process, and the complications of figuring damages in the case of replanted crops. The hail accumulated to a depth of several inches in places, with drifts as high as four feet in the Wagner area. Snow plows were needed to clear roads in the Wagner and Lake Andes areas. The hail cracked windows and damaged siding in the Wagner area. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Lake Andes | - | A weak tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Lake Andes | - | A tornado destroyed four grain bins and two sheds on a farm. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Hail | Lake Andes | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dezera | 2.2 miles | 11 | |
| Lake View Colony | 6.0 miles | 10 | |
| Pickstown | 6.2 miles | 10 | |
| Ravinia | 6.2 miles | 10 | |
| Geddes | 10.6 miles | 9 | |
| Marty | 12.9 miles | 10 | |
| Wagner | 14.2 miles | 11 | |
| Wheeler (historical) | 16.0 miles | 9 |
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 Lake Andes | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2411086 | 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 1256006. 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.





