South Dakota, 1993

Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, August 13, 1993

August 13, 1993 · 13 events in 7 counties and zones

8 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
3
Property damage
$66,000
Crop damage
$600
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, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Meade

When
August 13, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Meade County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$500
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning injured a 31-year-old man at an outdoor concert near Sturgis. Strong winds associated with the thunderstorms blew away vendors' canopies and signs. Hail up to golfball-size damaged the paint job on several motorcycles west of Sturgis. Heavy rains caused ankle-deep water in some areas. In Sturgis, lightning hit a tree which fell on a car.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
August 13, 7:06 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, Rapid City Airport
Measured
59 kt (68 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds gusting up to 68 mph caused minor damage to 14 cars and to the airport terminal area.

Tornado, Butte

When
August 13, 7:30 PM MST
Where
Butte County, Belle
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
35 yd
Property damage
$50
Crop damage
$50
Coordinates
44.930, -103.370

A tornado uprooted some trees.

Tornado, Custer

When
August 13, 7:55 PM MST
Where
Custer County, Buffalo Gap
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$50
Crop damage
$50
Coordinates
43.700, -103.320

Hail, Lawrence

When
August 13, 8:30 PM MST
Where
Lawrence County, Spearfish
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Lawrence

When
August 13, 8:46 PM MST
Where
Lawrence County, To St. Onge to Whitewood
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
44.470, -103.630

Tornado, Butte

When
August 13, 8:55 PM MST to 9:15 PM MST
Where
Butte County, Newell to Nisland
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$500
Coordinates
44.620, -103.420

A severe thunderstorm destroyed crops, especially east of Vale. A likely tornado skimmed the trees near a residence and tore tin from buildings. Southeast of Newell, large driving hail shattered the windows on the trailer.

Tornado, Meade

When
August 13, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Meade County, Rapid City
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Meade

When
August 13, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Meade County, Rapid City
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
August 13, 9:05 PM MST
Where
Meade County, Tilford
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Meade

When
August 13, 9:12 PM MST
Where
Meade County, Bear Butte
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
44.470, -103.300

Tornado, Perkins

When
August 13, 9:30 PM MST
Where
Perkins County, W of Usta
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
35 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
45.220, -102.170

A tornado picked up a mobile home and turned it upside down, destroying the trailer. Three people inside the mobile home received minor bruises. Structures beside the mobile were untouched by the storm.

Thunderstorm Wind, Corson

When
August 13, 10:30 PM MST
Where
Corson County to McIntosh
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong thunderstorm winds damaged tents at a fair.

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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1993Every state in 1993This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1993Warnings in South Dakota, August 1993

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: 10346380, 10346606, 10346024, 10346327, 10346248, 10346249, 10346025, 10346381, 10346382, 10346383, 10346384, 10346061, 10346283.