South Dakota, 1985

Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, April 20, 1985

April 20, 1985 · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

8 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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
$2.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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

8 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Bon Homme

When
April 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Bon Homme County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.5 mi
Path width
1,000 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.930, -97.670

Tornado, Bon Homme

When
April 20, 6:01 PM CST
Where
Bon Homme County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
3 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.980, -98.070

Tornado, Yankton

When
April 20, 6:02 PM CST
Where
Yankton County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
80 yd
Coordinates
42.850, -97.350

Tornado, Yankton

When
April 20, 6:06 PM CST
Where
Yankton County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
3 yd
Coordinates
42.950, -97.500

Tornado, Bon Homme

When
April 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where
Bon Homme County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
3 yd
Coordinates
42.980, -97.850

Tornado, Yankton

When
April 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where
Yankton County
Rating
F2
Path length
10 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.900, -97.600

Tornado, Clay

When
April 20, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
3 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.880, -96.920

Tornado, Turner

When
April 20, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Turner County
Rating
F2
Path length
12 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
43.180, -97.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Yankton

When
April 20, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Yankton County
Coordinates
43.080, -97.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Yankton

When
April 20, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Yankton County
Coordinates
43.080, -97.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
April 20, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
43.450, -96.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Minnehaha

When
April 20, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
43.530, -96.730

Hail, Minnehaha

When
April 20, 7:52 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
43.580, -96.470

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1985Every state in 1985This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1985

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: 10123681, 10123682, 10123683, 10123684, 10124536, 10124537, 10124538, 10124539, 10124540, 10124541, 10124542, 10124543, 10124544.