BlockBefore

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.

Swett within Bennett County

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

26 since 1994

Regional 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/undetermined9
Equipment and vehicle use8
Debris and open burning4
Natural3
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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 August 2011Naturalunder an acrePine Ridge AgencyWEST
28 August 2003Natural2.5 acresPine Ridge AgencyLIL BEAR
2 August 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionPEIL/PORCH
18 August 2008Equipment and vehicle use41 acresPine Ridge AgencyWINTER
14 August 1996Debris and open burning100 acresPine Ridge AgencyCRASH TEST
13 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionSANDY FIRE
13 August 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresPine Ridge AgencyDITCH
10 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRAIN BIN FIRE

Every fire recorded in Bennett County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Wheeler Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Bennett County

Storms near this place

42 since 1999

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2019FloodSwett$500,000Runoff 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 2010Thunderstorm WindSwett$30,000Thunderstorm 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 2019FloodSwett$15,000Runoff from heavy rainfall washed out the culvert on the Little White River at 208th Avenue, south of Swett, and damaged other county roads.
April 2025Heavy RainSwett-A 24 hour rainfall.
June 2025HailSwett-Esimated.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindSwett-Public reported estimated wind gust report.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSwett-Storm spotter estimated reported wind gust.
August 2023HailSwett-Wind gusts were estimated at 40 to 50 mph.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSwett-The tops of some trees were snapped off, large trees uprooted, and shingles were missing from structures.
July 2020Tornado (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 2019Thunderstorm WindSwett-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 2019Tornado (EF0)Swett-A brief tornado was reported by the emergency manager. It was over pasture land and caused no damage.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindSwett-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindSwett-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindSwett-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Swett-Width and path length reported by a local resident.
June 2024HailSwett-no account filed
July 2024HailSwett-no account filed
July 2024HailSwett-no account filed
July 2020HailSwett-no account filed
July 2019HailSwett-no account filed
June 2014HailSwett-no account filed
July 2013HailSwett-no account filed
August 2013HailSwett-no account filed
June 2008HailSwett-no account filed
June 2008HailSwett-no account filed
July 2008Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed
March 2007HailSwett-no account filed
May 2007HailSwett-no account filed
June 2007HailSwett-no account filed
June 2007Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed
June 2006HailSwett-no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed
June 2005HailSwett-no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed
July 2005HailSwett-no account filed
May 2003HailSwett-no account filed
July 2003HailSwett-no account filed
August 2002HailSwett-no account filed
July 2001HailSwett-no account filed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindSwett-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Bennett 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
Allen7.7 miles5
Plenty Bears9.1 miles5
Martin11.6 miles5
Bad Wound13.5 miles5
Black Eyes14.8 miles5
LaCreek (historical)17.1 miles5
Tuthill24.3 miles6
Patricia24.6 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 SwettAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q18386892The 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.