South Dakota, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Dakota, July 24 to 25, 1997

July 24 to 25, 1997 · NWS ABR · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
0
Property damage
$20,000
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.

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When
July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Clark County, Naples
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates
44.770, -97.500

Flash Flood, Spink

When
July 24, 9:00 PM CST to July 25, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Spink County, Conde
Coordinates
44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over 6 inches of rain fell in the Conde area in far northeast Spink County. Water was over Highway 37 and many town basements were flooded. One basement filled with 5 feet of water.

Flash Flood, Hamlin

When
July 24, 10:00 PM CST to July 25, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Hamlin County, Estelline
Coordinates
44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nearly 7 inches of rain was received at Lake Poinset and over 6 inches of rain was received in Estelline. Hidewood creek overflowed its banks. Water got into many residences and some were evacuated. A small bridge was taken out by high water and Highway 28 was closed for an hour.

Tornado, Deuel

When
July 24, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Deuel County, Astoria to 3 mi E of Astoria
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
120 yd
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
44.550, -96.470

A tornado touched down on a farm, uprooting and snapping trees. Every tree on the property was damaged in some way. The tornadic winds drove 2 inch branches underneath the tires of a goose neck trailer with a load of culverts aboard. The wind also drove 2 inch thick tree branches through a metal 40" by 72" quonset, leaving a hole three feet long. Also, 3 walls of a machine shed were blown down, 2 pickups were damaged and metal culverts were thrown about and twisted. A wheelbarrow was pushed for 15 feet, tipping over a motorcycle. Two overhead doors were blown out and one was bashed, damaging a camper. Path length and width were estimated.

What these are

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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1997Warnings in South Dakota, July 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5612805, 5612851, 5612850, 5612806.