A report from the National Climatic Data Center details 67 "billion-dollar weather disasters" since 1980, including six that affected South Dakota.
The billion-dollar events that affected the state were not limited to its borders; rather, they were widespread disasters that affected numerous states. All of the billion-dollar events that affected South Dakota were droughts -- with or without accompanying heat waves -- or floods.
Not included in the report is the Thanksgiving weekend blizzard of 2005, one of the most expensive weather events to hit South Dakota in recent years. Estimated damages and costs from that storm, according to state officials, totaled $25 million. That number could rise, though, as electrical power companies continue their recovery work this summer.
Also excluded from the report is the current drought, which is affecting much of the Rockies and Northern Plains. Todd Heitkamp, of the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, said current conditions are not yet as severe as some of the widespread billion-dollar droughts that affected South Dakota in 1980, 1988, 1989 and 2002.
"To reach the magnitude that those did, we've still got a ways to go," Heitkamp said.
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Following is a summary of the billion-dollar weather disasters that affected South Dakota from 1980 to 2005, according to the NCDC report. The NCDC is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
n Widespread drought, spring through early fall of 2002: A moderate to extreme
drought spread over large portions of 30 states, including the western states, the
Great Plains, and much of the eastern United States. Estimated damages and costs were about $10 billion, but no deaths were attributed to the disaster.
n Northern Plains flooding, April-May 1997: Severe flooding occurred in the Dakotas and Minnesota due to heavy spring snowmelt. Approximately $3.7 billion in damages and costs were incurred at the time, a figure which equates to more than $4 billion after being inflation-adjusted to reflect a more modern figure. Eleven deaths were attributed to the disaster.
n Midwest flooding, summer of 1993: Severe, widespread flooding occurred in the central United States due to persistent heavy rains and thunderstorms. Approximately $21 billion in damages and costs were incurred at the time, a figure which equates to more than $26 billion after being adjusted for inflation. Forty-eight deaths were attributed to the disaster.
n Northern Plains drought, summer of 1989: Severe summer drought occurred over much of the northern plains with significant losses to agriculture. At least $1 billion in damage and costs were incurred at the time, or $1.5 billion in more modern, inflation-adjusted figures. No deaths were reported.
n Drought/heat wave, summer of 1988: A drought in the central and eastern United States caused very severe losses to agricultural and related industries. Damages and costs incurred at the time were $40 billion, which equates to about $62 million in inflation-adjusted figures. There were an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 deaths, including deaths that were heat-stress related.
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n Drought/heat wave, June-September 1980: A drought and heat wave in the central and eastern United States caused $20 billion in damages and costs at the time, or $48.4 billion in more modern, inflation-adjusted figures. Agricultural and related industries were severely affected. There were an estimated 10,000 deaths, including deaths that were heat-stress related.
