Swett, South Dakota
5 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the West Bennett unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57551. The Survey maps it on the Swett quadrangle. It stands 3,343 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 5 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 Martin quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Swett quadrangle1:25000
- 1983 USGS Martin quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
26 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Swett between 1994 and 2020, burning about 730 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/undetermined | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 August 2011 | Natural | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | WEST |
| 28 August 2003 | Natural | 2.5 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | LIL BEAR |
| 2 August 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | PEIL/PORCH |
| 18 August 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | WINTER |
| 14 August 1996 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | CRASH TEST |
| 13 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | SANDY FIRE |
| 13 August 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | DITCH |
| 10 August 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRAIN BIN FIRE |
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Swett: 1 past producer. 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
42 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Swett in 42 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 22 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 | Flood | Swett | $500,000 | Runoff from melting snow caused major flooding, which washed out numerous roads and flooded a few structures. The Little White River compromised roads in four locations. One section of road was washed completely away for a quarter of a mile, while another spot was washed out nine feet deep and 15 feet wide. The Little White River near Martin recorded its second highest flow, while near Vetal it tied its record crest at 12.53 feet and 3540 cfs. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | $30,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts tore three grain bins off their foundations and blew them more than 250 yards. One landed in a tree, another on a road, and the third in a field. A telephone pole was blown over onto another grain bin, a feed wagon was tossed across the yard, and irrigation pipe was blown around. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Swett | $15,000 | Runoff from heavy rainfall washed out the culvert on the Little White River at 208th Avenue, south of Swett, and damaged other county roads. |
| April 2025 | Heavy Rain | Swett | - | A 24 hour rainfall. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Swett | - | Esimated. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | Public reported estimated wind gust report. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | Storm spotter estimated reported wind gust. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Swett | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 40 to 50 mph. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | The tops of some trees were snapped off, large trees uprooted, and shingles were missing from structures. |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EF0) | Swett | - | An EF1 tornado tracked southeast across areas western Bennett County west and south of Swett. A mobile home was destroyed as it rolled 50 feet from its previous location. A few other homes on the edge of the tornado path were also damaged. Some large trees and branches were downed. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | One large grain bin was caved in and four others were dented by strong wind gusts. The winds also tore siding off a house. |
| July 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | Swett | - | A brief tornado was reported by the emergency manager. It was over pasture land and caused no damage. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Swett | - | Width and path length reported by a local resident. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Swett | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swett | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | 7.7 miles | 5 | |
| Plenty Bears | 9.1 miles | 5 | |
| Martin | 11.6 miles | 5 | |
| Bad Wound | 13.5 miles | 5 | |
| Black Eyes | 14.8 miles | 5 | |
| LaCreek (historical) | 17.1 miles | 5 | |
| Tuthill | 24.3 miles | 6 | |
| Patricia | 24.6 miles | 5 |
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 Swett | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q18386892 | 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 1258479. 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.



