A severe storm system tore through central and eastern South Dakota on Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, damaging buildings and vehicles, downing trees and power lines, and leaving people stranded in their vehicles as dust storms rolled across the region.
One fatality occurred in Sioux Falls as a result of the storm.
A nursing home in Salem was destroyed, and the roof of another building was lifted.
No travel was advised in Emery due to downed power lines and other damage.
Brookings reported extensive damage to trees and buildings.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Matthew Myers says Madison was one of the hardest hit areas.
He says several areas were hit by strong winds of 60-80 MPH.
There were reports of tornadoes in Salem, near Howard, and outside of Alexandria. Myers says those have not yet been confirmed, and crews will be out assessing today. One town where a tornado was confirmed was Castlewood, which is Governor Kristi Noem’s hometown. The governor visited the area last night. The following photo, courtesy of KWAT, is of the Castlewood school gym.
Tripp reported a wind gust of 107 MPH. Madison had a gust of 97 MPH, and Huron had a top gust of 90 MPH.
Here in Mitchell, the top recorded wind gust was 59 MPH. Pea-sized hail fell as the storm moved quickly to the east and north. Mitchell did set a record high temperature of 91 degrees yesterday, breaking the record of 90 set in 1915.