BlockBefore

Parmelee, South Dakota

5 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the West Todd unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57566. The Survey maps it on the Parmelee quadrangle. 606 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,638 feet above sea level.

Parmelee within Todd County

On record in Parmelee

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

Parmelee grew from 562 to 606 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
2010562
2020606+44 (+8%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 5 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

499 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 499 fires within 5 miles of Parmelee between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,974 acres in total. 48 started naturally. 70 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
Misuse of fire by a minor140
Arson/incendiarism70
Debris and open burning60
Equipment and vehicle use60
Natural48
Missing data/not specified/undetermined48
Fireworks44
Other causes20
Recreation and ceremony6
Smoking2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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
9 September 1998Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreRosebud AgencyBETTY
8 September 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreRosebud AgencyCHURCH FIRE
7 September 1994Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreRosebud AgencyCAR#17
5 September 2000Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreRosebud Agency3 DUMP
5 September 1997Misuse of fire by a minor2.0 acresRosebud AgencyJUG
4 September 2016Arson/incendiarismunder an acreRosebud AgencyHIGH HEEL
4 September 1995Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreRosebud AgencyPARM.KIDS
4 September 1993Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreRosebud AgencyHORSESHOE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Todd County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Parmelee: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Heinert PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Rosebud Sioux Pit 1265 1/2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Rosebud Sioux Pit Ref 3110Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Todd County

Storms near this place

60 of 111 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Parmelee in 111 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 68 thunderstorm wind, 30 hail, 6 tornado, 4 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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
August 1999LightningParmelee1 hurtA 32 year old man was paralyzed by lightning when lightning struck the screen door in front of him. He was knocked to the ground and witnesses say that he was indirectly hit by the lightning strike. Paramedics on scene noted that there were no entrance or exit wounds. He was transported to Rapid City for medical care.
May 2019FloodParmelee$100,000A few roads were flooded near the Keya Paha River, Little White River, and smaller tributaries of these rivers.
July 2013Flash FloodParmelee$60,000Debris clogged the outlet works at Ghost Hawk Dam and Rosebud Dam, causing the dams to overflow after heavy rain. In addition, a breach of Omaha Boy Dam, about a mile southwest of the Rosebud Dam, increased inflows into the lake. Several culverts and roads were damaged by the flooding, including Ghost Hawk Road and Grass Mountain Road. The Little White River near Rosebud rose from less than 100 cfs to over 1000 cfs in less than four hours, with a peak flow of 1300 cfs.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindParmelee$50,000A roof was blown off a house and power lines were blown down at the Upper Cut Meat housing area. The nearby Magpie Creek RAWS measured a wind gust of 78 mph.
June 2011Flash FloodParmelee$10,000Two to three inches of rain fell over the Rosebud Reservation in less than three hours. Several rural roads were washed out.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindParmelee$5,000The combination of hail and wind produced minor damage.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-SD mesonet recorded wind gust.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Time estimated from radar.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-SD mesonet recorded wind gust.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-SD mesonet recorded wind gust.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.
July 2025Tornado (EFU)Parmelee-No damage reported. Track based on chaser video and reports.
July 2025HailParmelee-Storm chaser report.
July 2025HailParmelee-Storm chaser confirmed baseball size hail.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.
April 2024Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Several buildings in the Parmalee area sustained roof damage and broken windows. Many vehicles had damage as well.
August 2022Flash FloodParmelee-Runoff from heavy rain quickly flooded fields and washed gravel off rural roads. The Little White River rose a couple of feet in an hour.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Event time was estimated from radar.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindParmelee-Wind gusts to 60 mph were estimated.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindParmelee-The Magpie Creek RAWS measured a wind gust of 63 mph.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindParmelee-A 63 mph wind gust was measured by the Magpie Creek RAWS.
July 2009Tornado (EF0)Parmelee-A spotter observed a brief tornado in open area near the intersection of US Highway 18 and state Highway 63. Path length and width were estimated.
July 2009Tornado (EF0)Parmelee-A storm chaser observed a tornado over prairie land northwest of Parmalee. The storm location was estimated by radar.
June 2008FloodParmelee-Minor flooding occurred along small streams around Parmelee in northwestern Todd County.
June 2007Flash FloodParmelee-Water covered portions of Highway 63 near Parmalee and flowed over secondary roads around Parmalee.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindParmelee-The Magpie Creek RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph around 5:25 pm CST.
May 1999Tornado (F0)Parmelee-Brief Touchdown. Tornado path and width estimated
July 1994Tornado (F0)Parmelee-Time of tornado observance was sometime between 1515MDT and 1700MDT. The tornadoes were both small and appeared at the same time from the same storm.
July 1994Tornado (F0)Parmelee-Time of tornado observance was sometime between 1515MDT and 1700MDT. The tornadoes were both small and appeared at the same time from the same storm.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
July 2024Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
April 2024HailParmelee-no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2023HailParmelee-no account filed
June 2023Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2023Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
May 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2022Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
August 2020HailParmelee-no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed
June 2020HailParmelee-no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindParmelee-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Todd 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
Soldier Creek7.3 miles5
Two Strike11.0 miles5
Rosebud11.1 miles5
Saint Francis13.9 miles5
Spring Creek14.2 miles5
Mission19.6 miles5
Antelope Development Area20.8 miles5
Antelope21.1 miles5

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 ParmeleeAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2215582The 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 1256960. 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.