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Heavy Rain From the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic; Heat Wave Begins This Weekend

Strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain will impact portions of the central Plains into the Upper Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic through the weekend. A stretch of unusually hot and humid weather is expected across portions of the central U.S. and the Southeast beginning this weekend and continuing through next week. The heat may reach dangerous levels, particularly mid to late next week. Read More >

Overview

During the late afternoon and early evening of June 23, 1998, a slow-moving supercell thunderstorm produced a series of three tornadoes about 15 to 20 miles north-to-northeast of downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. Luckily, little damage was caused by these impressive tornadoes as they slowly moved eastward, to the north of I-90 and Ellsworth Air Force Base.

There also was considerable crop damage associated with this supercell as it moved through Meade County. One observer reported hen egg size hail (2") falling for over an hour as the storm continuously re-developed over the same area.

This page briefly outlines the meteorological conditions and radar imagery associated with this event.

Track Map
Map of the three tornado locations on June 23, 1998

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