South Dakota, 1978

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 4, 1978

July 4, 1978 · NWS MT · 7 events in 6 counties and zones

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jerauld

When
July 4, 3:40 AM CST
Where
Jerauld County
Measured
78 kt (90 mph)
Coordinates
44.080, -98.570

Tornado, Charles Mix

When
July 4, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Charles Mix County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
43.430, -98.770

Tornado, Minnehaha

When
July 4, 8:40 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
43.650, -96.730

Tornado, Sanborn

When
July 4, 9:05 PM CST
Where
Sanborn County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
43.850, -98.100

Tornado, Bon Homme

When
July 4, 10:25 PM CST
Where
Bon Homme County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
42.850, -97.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When
July 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where
Lake County
Coordinates
44.030, -97.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When
July 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where
Lake County
Coordinates
44.000, -97.250

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1978

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10126683, 10126684, 10126685, 10126686, 10126687, 10126688, 10126689.