Recalling the Severe Storms of June 12, 2001

Significant severe weather occurred across much of the area during the later afternoon and evening hours of June 12, 2001. These storms initiated to the north of a warm frontal boundary which lifted into northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa by late afternoon. Earlier in the day, storms initiated to the north of this front, lifting northeast and producing some dime to quarter size hail across northwest Iowa into southwest Minnesota.

A series of supercell thunderstorms erupted across the Tri-State area early in the evening, with at least two tracking directly across Sioux Falls with large hail, damaging winds, and a couple of brief tornado touchdowns. Hail up to baseball to softball size was reported on the southeastern side of Sioux Falls, causing significant damage to cars and rooves, with most areas of the city experiencing hail of quarter size or larger at least once during the evening. Figures 1a and 1b below show the two storms which moved across the Sioux Falls area.

Figure 1. Regional radar image at 730 pm CDT 12 June 2001 (left) and 831 pm CDT 12 June 2001.

Signficant hail of quarter to golf ball size also tracked through much of the northwest Iowa north of highway 18, to areas just north of the Minnesota border. A third in the series of storms formed west of Sioux Falls after sunset, producing a small bow echo tracking eastward with reports of widespread wind damage from eastern South Dakota toward the Iowa Great Lakes.

Figure 2. Regional radar image at 928 pm 12 June 2001.

In addition, a number of weak tornadoes were observed (shown in red in the images below), but produced minimal damage. Storm reports are plotted in the following image, with tabular data below.

Reports of severe weather from the afternoon of June 12 through early morning of June 13.

Figure 3. Storm Data reports from 7 am CDT Tuesday, June 12 to 7 am CDT Wednesday, June 13, 2001. Red represents tornadoes, blue (wind) and green (hail). Hail size is listed in inches. Image courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center, and can be produced for numerous events at www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/sp3/plot.php .

Tornado Reports
Time (UTC)	F Scale	Location	County	State	Lat	Lon	Comments
0012	UNK	2 W GARRETSON	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9654	REPORTED BY PUBLIC. (FSD)
0041	UNK	SIOUX FALLS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9683	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. TREES DOWN AND VEHICLES DAMAGED. (FSD)
0226	UNK	1 S MONTGOMERY	DICKINSON	IA	4341	9519	(FSD)
0245	UNK	OCHEYEDAN	OSCEOLA	IA	4341	9555	(FSD)
0246	UNK	SPIRIT LAKE	DICKINSON	IA	4343	9509	ROPE TORNADO ON GROUND WITH DEBRIS. REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
0319	UNK	6 S HARTFORD	MINNEHAHA	SD	4353	9694	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
Hail Reports
Time (UTC)	Size	Location	County	State	Lat	Lon	Comments
2117	100	1 NE HARRIS	OSCEOLA	IA	4346	9543	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
2133	100	RUSHMORE	NOBLES	MN	4361	9580	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)
2205	100	1 N LUVERNE	ROCK	MN	4349	9625	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)
2240	75	7 NW HARTLEY	OBRIEN	IA	4310	9558	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
2250	100	MAY CITY	OSCEOLA	IA	4331	9548	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
2303	100	INWOOD	LYON	IA	4331	9644	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
2326	75	1 S BRANDON	MINNEHAHA	SD	4356	9659	REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE. (FSD)
2327	88	DELL RAPIDS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4381	9671	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
2334	75	COLTON	MINNEHAHA	SD	4378	9693	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
2340	75	6 S TEA	LINCOLN	SD	4334	9683	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
2341	75	ROCK RAPIDS	LYON	IA	4343	9618	(FSD)
2345	88	ROCK VLY	SIOUX	IA	4319	9630	(FSD)
2353	75	5 W ELLSWORTH	NOBLES	MN	4351	9613	(FSD)
2355	175	1 E HARTFORD	MINNEHAHA	SD	4363	9692	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
0001	175	SIOUX FALLS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9683	REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE. (FSD)
0015	175	ROCK VLY	SIOUX	IA	4319	9630	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0024	175	SIOUX FALLS	LINCOLN	SD	4330	9681	(FSD)
0025	275	SIOUX FALLS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9683	REPORTED BY PUBLIC. (FSD)
0033	175	1 S BRANDON	MINNEHAHA	SD	4356	9659	REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE. (FSD)
0036	75	ROCK RAPIDS	LYON	IA	4343	9618	(FSD)
0053	100	SHELDON	SIOUX	IA	4308	9620	(FSD)
0100	175	MAY CITY	OSCEOLA	IA	4331	9548	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0118	175	5 NE FORESTBURG	SANBORN	SD	4407	9801	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0119	75	MILFORD	DICKINSON	IA	4333	9514	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
0135	175	BRIDGEWATER	MCCOOK	SD	4354	9750	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
0145	275	OCHEYEDAN	OSCEOLA	IA	4341	9555	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
0155	75	ROCK RAPIDS	LYON	IA	4343	9618	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0158	175	10 W MILFORD	DICKINSON	IA	4333	9537	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0220	175	SPIRIT LAKE	DICKINSON	IA	4343	9509	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0220	100	ELLSWORTH	NOBLES	MN	4351	9601	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0223	100	10 SW JACKSON	JACKSON	MN	4349	9516	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0238	88	7 S MELVIN	OSCEOLA	IA	4316	9561	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0246	175	SPIRIT LAKE	DICKINSON	IA	4343	9509	REPORTED BY MEDIA. (FSD)
0250	100	IROQUOIS	KINGSBURY	SD	4445	9748	(FSD)
0315	88	HARTFORD	MINNEHAHA	SD	4363	9694	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
0456	75	MADISON	LAKE	SD	4400	9711	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)
0520	75	FLANDREAU	MOODY	SD	4404	9658	REPORTED BY PUBLIC. (FSD)
0539	88	CROOKS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4366	9681	(FSD)
0627	75	6 SW CHANDLER	MURRAY	MN	4386	9604	(FSD)
0628	75	CHAMBERLAIN	BRULE	SD	4379	9933	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)
0714	175	CHAMBERLAIN	BRULE	SD	4379	9933	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)
1145	88	6 E HOWARD	MINER	SD	4401	9739	(FSD)
1153	75	2 SE WINFRED	LAKE	SD	4397	9733	REPORTED BY PUBLIC. (FSD)
Wind Reports
Time (UTC)	Speed	Location	County	State	Lat	Lon	Comments
0104	62	SHELDON	SIOUX	IA	4308	9620	MEASURED BY AWOS AUTOMATIC OBSERVING EQUIPMENT. (FSD)
0158	60	10 W MILFORD	DICKINSON	IA	4333	9537	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0244	65	1 S VALLEY SPGS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4356	9646	REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
0356	UNK	2 W SIOUX FALLS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9683	BARN DESTROYED. REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. (FSD)
0402	80	SIOUX FALLS	MINNEHAHA	SD	4371	9683	REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER. (FSD)
0456	60	COLTON	MINNEHAHA	SD	4378	9693	REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL. (FSD)

This was hardly a one day event, as on the following day (June 13), another significant severe weather outbreak occurred with large hail, several tornadoes, and a widespread damaging wind event across southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa with measured winds of 65 to 90 mph.

Article originally posted on June 13, 2012