Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, June 19, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, June 19, 1979
Start: 1979-06-19T03:16
End: 1979-06-19T18:21
Location: South Dakota

June 19, 1979 · 23 events in 15 counties and zones

13 tornado, 5 hail, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $33 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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

13 tornado, 5 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Beadle

When: June 19, 3:16 AM CST
Where: Beadle County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 44.350, -98.220

Hail, Sully

When: June 19, 12:48 PM CST
Where: Sully County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.950, -100.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Hughes

When: June 19, 2:35 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 44.380, -100.280

Hail, Hughes

When: June 19, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 44.380, -100.280

Tornado, Brule

When: June 19, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Brule County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.750, -98.950

Tornado, Charles Mix

When: June 19, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Charles Mix County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.520, -98.950

Hail, Yankton

When: June 19, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Yankton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.930, -97.320

Tornado, Yankton

When: June 19, 3:58 PM CST
Where: Yankton County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 44.200, -99.000

Hail, Potter

When: June 19, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Potter County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 45.250, -99.800

Tornado, Potter

When: June 19, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Potter County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 45.020, -99.580

Tornado, Minnehaha

When: June 19, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.650, -97.070

Tornado, Minnehaha

When: June 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.630, -96.950

Tornado, Codington

When: June 19, 5:18 PM CST
Where: Codington County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 44.900, -97.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Turner

When: June 19, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Turner County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.270, -96.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Hutchinson

When: June 19, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.350, -97.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Turner

When: June 19, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Turner County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.400, -97.130

Tornado, Turner

When: June 19, 5:33 PM CST
Where: Turner County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.430, -97.170

Tornado, Turner

When: June 19, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Turner County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.350, -97.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Day

When: June 19, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Day County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 45.220, -97.380

Tornado, Brown

When: June 19, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 45.350, -98.200

Tornado, Day

When: June 19, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Day County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 45.230, -97.930

Tornado, Roberts

When: June 19, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Roberts County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 45.350, -96.730

Tornado, McPherson

When: June 19, 6:21 PM CST
Where: McPherson County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 45.600, -98.980

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Roberts	1979-06-19				Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

Every storm in South Dakota in 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for South Dakota, 1979

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: 10123300, 10123301, 10123302, 10123303, 10123304, 10123305, 10123306, 10123307, 10123308, 10123309, 10123310, 10123311, 10123312, 10123313, 10123314, 10123315, 10123316, 10123317, 10123318, 10123319, 10123320, 10123321, 10123322.