South Dakota, 1985

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, August 12, 1985

August 12, 1985 · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

2 tornado, 2 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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

2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Clay

When
August 12, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Clay County
Rating
F1
Path length
15 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
42.830, -97.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
August 12, 1:40 AM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
42.780, -96.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When
August 12, 1:45 AM CST
Where
Union County
Coordinates
43.020, -96.650

Tornado, Union

When
August 12, 1:53 AM CST
Where
Union County
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
42.920, -96.800

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.

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: 10125046, 10125047, 10125048, 10125049.