Waubay, South Dakota
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Waubay City. It lies in ZIP code area 57273. The Survey maps it on the Waubay quadrangle. 473 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,818 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresWaubay fell from 576 to 473 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 | 576 | |
| 2020 | 473 | -103 (-18%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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 Milbank quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Milbank quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Waubay quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Webster quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
13 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Waubay between 1992 and 2016, burning about 1,649 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 | 5 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 1996 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Sisseton Agency | WABED |
| 13 August 1997 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Sisseton Agency | WAUBAY |
| 4 July 1994 | Fireworks | 1.5 acres | Sisseton Agency | BLUEDOG |
| 9 May 1997 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Sisseton Agency | KEEBLE |
| 24 May 2002 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 133 acres | Sisseton Agency | BLUEDOG |
| 30 April 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,435 acres | Waubay National Wildlife Refuge | SPRING LKE |
| 27 April 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Sisseton Agency | BLUDOG1 |
| 14 April 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Sisseton Agency | DANCAMP |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Waubay: 2 producers. All of them 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gronke Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
51 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Waubay in 51 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 25 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 4 tornado, 1 funnel cloud. The reports record 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | 4 hurt | Eighty mph winds or higher destroyed a 14 by 40 foot trailer home at Enemy Swim Lake. The four occupants inside were not seriously injured. The winds also damaged the roofs of two other homes, damaged several boat lifts and docks, downed some power lines and poles, damaged the school, and downed many trees and branches. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | $5,000 | Thunderstorm Winds blew down some power lines and tree limbs. |
| June 2025 | Flood | Waubay | - | The Day county Emergency Manager sent photos of flooding of fields, ditches and with water over a portion of 148th st. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Waubay | - | The report was relayed via social media. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Sixty mph winds were estimated. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Seventy mph winds tipped over two campers with one rolling at Bitter Lake Lodge. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | A dairy barn was partially destroyed by estimated eighty-five mph winds. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Eighty mph winds caused a lot of damage throughout Waubay with trees uprooted and damage to several structures. There were also many power outages. |
| June 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Waubay | - | A tornado touched down over Bitter Lake traveling northeast and dissipating before moving inland. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Sixty mph winds were estimated. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Sixty-five mph winds were estimated. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Ninety mph winds downed trees all over town, damaged some homes, outbuildings, grain bins, overturned and damaged numerous campers, and downed some power lines. There were also a few fires caused by the downed power lines. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Ninety mph winds downed several large trees in Waubay and also damaged several structures. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | One hundred mph winds or higher caused significant damage from Waubay to nearly three miles southeast of Waubay. Many trees and branches were downed along the path of high winds. More significant damage occurred at the Bitter Lake Lodge campground where several campers were rolled and destroyed. Significant damage occurred at a farm with a barn roof damaged with partially collapsed walls. Empty grain bins were completely destroyed with other outbuildings sustaining damage. Also, much of the wheat and corn crop along the way was destroyed by large hail. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | There were many trees snapped or uprooted in Waubay along with many residences sustaining roof or other structural damage. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Eighty mph winds or higher downed several power poles and many trees at Pickeral Lake along with damaging several watercraft. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Strong winds downed many large tree branches in Waubay. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Seventy mph winds knocked over many boats on the lake, damaged several campers and vehicles, along with downing many trees. |
| July 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Waubay | - | The tornado touched down briefly. Path length and width were estimated. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | Damaging thunderstorm winds blew some buildings down and some trees were uprooted. |
| July 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Waubay | - | The tornado touched down briefly. Path length and width were estimated. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| October 2021 | Funnel Cloud | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| August 2016 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Hail | Waubay | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waubay | - | 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 Waubay | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2614269 | 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 1265711. 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.



