SATURDAYS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM AND WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER

On Saturday, May 22nd, an unseasonably warm and humid airmass produced severe weather across Central and Eastern South Dakota.  The first storm up quickly formed into a supercell thunderstorm with strong rotation and hail signatures.  Within a half hour, the first reports of tornado damage were being received.

The storm progressed east, merging with several other storms.  As the storm progressed east into the overnight hours, it evolved from a high precipitation supercell with a rain wrapped tornado into a Squall line producing severe hail and heavy rain.

 Surveys are ongoing to determine the intensity and number of tornadoes that formed across the area.  They suggest a progression back and forth from weak and small to multiple vortex as the system cycled through the course of the event, with a damage rating upwards of EF3.  Images and Storm Reports follow:

Photo courtesy of Chris Karstens and The Discovery Channel

 

(A) 5 miles West of Bowdle, site of inital touchdown.

(B) Through (D) 2 miles Northwest of Bowdle, destroyed farmstead.

(E) Through (L) 1 mile North of Bowdle, destroyed farmstead.

 

 

 

 

Anchorage for transmission lines

NWUS53 KABR 230840

LSRABR

 

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD

340 AM CDT SUN MAY 23 2010

 

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...

..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....

            ..REMARKS..

 

0545 PM     HAIL             10 S SELBY              45.36N 100.03W

05/22/2010  E0.88 INCH       WALWORTH           SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

            REPORTED BY DEPUTY 631B

 

0550 PM     HAIL             10 S SELBY              45.36N 100.03W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       WALWORTH           SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

0605 PM     HAIL             3 E SELBY               45.50N 99.97W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       WALWORTH           SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

0613 PM     HAIL             2 SSE JAVA              45.48N 99.87W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       WALWORTH           SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

0616 PM     TORNADO          8 W BOWDLE              45.45N 99.82W

05/22/2010                   WALWORTH           SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            REPORTED BY NUMEROUS TRAINED SPOTTERS

 

0621 PM     TORNADO          5 W BOWDLE              45.45N 99.76W

05/22/2010                   WALWORTH           SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS TWO TORNADOS ON THE GROUND IN THE

            SAME LOCATION

 

0630 PM     TORNADO          5 NW BOWDLE             45.50N 99.73W

05/22/2010                   WALWORTH           SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

 

            LARGE TORNADO ON GROUND. POWERLINE DAMAGE ON HIGHWAY 47

            1.5 MILES SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 12. ROAD IMPASSIBLE.

 

0635 PM     TORNADO          3 W HOSMER              45.58N 99.54W

05/22/2010                   EDMUNDS            SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS LARGE WEDGE TORNADO ON THE GROUND

 

 

0640 PM     TORNADO          4 SW HOSMER             45.54N 99.53W

05/22/2010                   EDMUNDS            SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            SPOTTER WAS LOCATED 4 SOUTH AND 4 WEST OF HOSMER

 

0641 PM     TORNADO          3 N BOWDLE              45.50N 99.66W

05/22/2010                   EDMUNDS            SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

 

            LARGE WEDGE TORNADO ON GROUND CROSSING HIGHWAY 47.

 

0645 PM     TORNADO          1 N BOWDLE              45.47N 99.66W

05/22/2010                   EDMUNDS            SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

 

            EDMUNDS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANGER REPORTED MAJOR TORNADO

            DAMAGE TO POWER LINES AND FARMS IN THE BOWDLE AREA.

 

0715 PM     HAIL             HOSMER                  45.58N 99.47W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       EDMUNDS            SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

0804 PM     TORNADO          5 NE IPSWICH            45.50N 98.96W

05/22/2010                   EDMUNDS            SD   STORM CHASER

 

            STORM CHASERS REPORT TORNADOS ON THE GROUND 3 TO 5 MILES

            NORTHEAST OF IPSWICH

 

0821 PM     HAIL             IPSWICH                 45.44N 99.03W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       EDMUNDS            SD   NWS EMPLOYEE

 

            FELL FOR 10 MINUTES.

 

0825 PM     HAIL             IPSWICH                 45.44N 99.03W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       EDMUNDS            SD   PUBLIC

 

0830 PM     TORNADO          WETONKA                 45.62N 98.77W

05/22/2010                   MCPHERSON          SD   BROADCAST MEDIA

 

            KSFY STORM CHASERS REPORTED LARGE RAIN WRAPPED TORNADO IN

            THE WETONKA AREA.

 

0834 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     3 E FAULKTON            45.03N 99.07W

05/22/2010                   FAULK              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            SPOTTER IS LOCATED 3 MILES EAST OF FAULKTON AND THE

            FUNNELCLOUD IS LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTH WEST OF SPOTTER

            LOCATION

 

0838 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     6 SW CRESBARD           45.11N 99.03W

05/22/2010                   FAULK              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            SPOTTER IS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CRESBARD

 

0845 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 SW BARNARD            45.71N 98.53W

05/22/2010                   BROWN              SD   STORM CHASER

 

            STORM CHASER REPORTS A FUNNEL CLOUD 1 MILE WEST OF 281 ON

            HWY 10

 

0848 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 WNW WESTPORT          45.69N 98.65W

05/22/2010                   BROWN              SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

            AT 377TH AVENUE AND 117TH STREET TWO VERY LARGE TREES

            WERE UPROOTED AND HAD FALLEN ACROSS THE ROAD. ONE FARMER

            HAD BARN DOORS RIPPED OFF WITH A HORSE TRAILER BEING

            MOVED 150 FEET. ANOTHER FARMER HAD MAJOR DAMAGE TO

            SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS TO THE ROOFS AND SIDES.

 

0935 PM     HAIL             1 NE STEPHAN            44.26N 99.44W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       HYDE               SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

            NICKEL AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL...40 MPH WINDS AND HEAVY

            RAIN

 

0945 PM     HAIL             WARNER                  45.32N 98.50W

05/22/2010  E1.25 INCH       BROWN              SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

0953 PM     HAIL             ABERDEEN                45.47N 98.48W

05/22/2010  M1.00 INCH       BROWN              SD   NWS EMPLOYEE

 

1003 PM     HAIL             BATH                    45.47N 98.32W

05/22/2010  E1.00 INCH       BROWN              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

 

1027 PM     HAIL             1 S REDFIELD            44.86N 98.52W

05/22/2010  E1.75 INCH       SPINK              SD   STORM CHASER

 

1143 PM     TSTM WND GST     ROSLYN                  45.50N 97.49W

05/22/2010  E60.00 MPH       DAY                SD   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

 

1150 PM     HAIL             4 E VEBLEN              45.86N 97.20W

05/22/2010  E1.50 INCH       ROBERTS            SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT

 

            ALSO MEASURED 42MPH WIND WITH THE HAIL