Lightning, McPherson
- When
- August 2, 12:30 AM CST
- Where
- McPherson County, 6 mi W of Eureka
- Coordinates
- 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning struck an abandoned barn which caught fire and burned to the ground.
Tornado and Hail in South Dakota, August 2, 1997
7 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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.
The radar
The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:18 UTC.
Event by event
7 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Spink
- When
- August 2, 3:20 PM CST
- Where
- Spink County, 4 mi NW of Northville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.180, -98.630
Hail, Brown
- When
- August 2, 3:20 PM CST
- Where
- Brown County, 6 mi SW of Warner
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.250, -98.580
Hail, Sully
- When
- August 2, 3:23 PM CST
- Where
- Sully County, 15 mi W of Onida
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 44.700, -100.370
Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell
- When
- August 2, 3:30 PM CST
- Where
- Campbell County, 3 mi W of Herreid
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.830, -100.130
Strong thunderstorm winds pushed a combine 15 feet into a barn.
Tornado, Dewey
- When
- August 2, 3:44 PM CST
- Where
- Dewey County, 10 mi SE of La Plant
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.3 mi
- Path width
- 30 yd
- Coordinates
- 45.030, -100.520
The tornado touched down briefly. Path width and length were estimated.
Hail, Brown
- When
- August 2, 3:45 PM CST
- Where
- Brown County, 7 mi SE of Hecla
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.820, -98.050
Hail, Marshall
- When
- August 2, 3:50 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall County, 8 mi W of Britton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.800, -97.920
Hail, Spink
- When
- August 2, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Spink County, 3 mi N of Ashton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.050, -98.500
Thunderstorm Wind, Potter
- When
- August 2, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Potter County, 20 mi W of Lebanon
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.070, -100.200
Strong thunderstorm winds blew a tree down onto a fence.
Thunderstorm Wind, Potter
- When
- August 2, 4:30 PM CST
- Where
- Potter County, 8 mi SW of Hoven
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.170, -99.920
Strong thunderstorm winds and large hail broke some windows and damaged many acres of crops.
Hail, Potter
- When
- August 2, 4:30 PM CST
- Where
- Potter County, 8 mi SW of Hoven
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 45.170, -99.920
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 2 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 2, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, August 2 to 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 2, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in South Dakota, August 2, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, August 2, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, August 2, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, August 2 to 3, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, August 2, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Idaho, August 2, 1997
- Cold in Alabama, August 2, 1997
- Cold in Alabama, August 2, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1997Warnings in South Dakota, August 1997
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: 5615858, 5615847, 5615848, 5615850, 5615849, 5615855, 5615851, 5615852, 5615853, 5615854, 5615856, 5615857.