National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Snow Across the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast; Unsettled Weather in the West

Light to moderate snow will continue into Saturday over the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast. This weekend into next week, a series of atmospheric rivers will bring gusty winds, periods of heavy rain, and mountain snow to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Colder temperatures are in store for the weekend from the Great Lakes to East Coast. Read More >

Overview

Severe thunderstorms impacted parts of central and eastern South Dakota on the evening of August 26, 2020 and again during the evening of August 27 and into the early morning hours of August 28, 2020. 

During the afternoon of August 26, supercell thunderstorms developed in western SD and produced numerous reports of hail exceeding the size of golf balls. The largest hailstone reported was the size of a baseball (2.75" in diameter) near Sansarc in Stanley County, SD. 

The next evening, another round of severe thunderstorms developed in western South Dakota during the evening of the 27th before traveling east across all of South Dakota into the early morning hours on the 28th. As the storms became more organized they produced strong straight-line winds as well as brief tornados. Numerous reports of straight-line winds over 70 mph were documented along with a peak wind gust of 104 mph. Six tornados also occurred in total. The severe winds along with the tornados damaged trees, buildings, campers, and crops.

Storm Reports from August 26-28, 2020
Storm Reports from August 26-28, 2020 (orange dots represent heavy rain and/or flooding reports)
Hail in Eagle Butte, SD on August 26, 2020 (Photo by Grady Kraft) Tornado path through a corn field on the east side of Redfield, SD (Spink County EM & Planning and Zoning) Image
Hail in Eagle Butte, SD on August 26, 2020 (Photo by Grady Kraft) Tornado path through a corn field on the east side of Redfield, SD (Spink County EM & Planning and Zoning) Surface weather map at 10pm on the 27th
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