South Dakota, 1986

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, September 24, 1986

September 24, 1986 · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

5 tornado, 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

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The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
5
Property damage
$78,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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

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

Tornado, Butte

When
September 24, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Butte County
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
44.720, -103.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
September 24, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Haakon County
Coordinates
44.430, -101.670

Tornado, Mellette

When
September 24, 6:52 PM CST
Where
Mellette County
Rating
F0
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
43.580, -101.000

Tornado, Jones

When
September 24, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Jones County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
40 yd
Coordinates
43.880, -100.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Hughes

When
September 24, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Hughes County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
44.370, -101.030

Tornado, Stanley

When
September 24, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Stanley County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
44.600, -100.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Charles Mix

When
September 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Charles Mix County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
43.380, -98.850

Tornado, Dewey

When
September 24, 9:18 PM CST
Where
Dewey County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
45.100, -100.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When
September 24, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Walworth County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
45.530, -100.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Brown

When
September 24, 11:15 PM CST
Where
Brown County
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
45.470, -98.480

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 1986Every state in 1986This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1986Warnings in South Dakota, September 1986

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: 10124862, 10124863, 10124864, 10124865, 10124866, 10124867, 10124868, 10124869, 10124870, 10124871.