Lightning struck and damaged a home in Brookings during the evening of May 4th.
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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 episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.
Lightning struck and damaged a home in Brookings during the evening of May 4th.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 4, 7:55 PM CST, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 855 PM CDT MON MAY 4 2009 .DISCUSSION... AXIS OF ELEVATED INSTABIL SLOWLY SHIFTING EWD ACRS CWA. MAIN BAND OF CONVECTION ALONG THE JAMES RVR IN THE AXIS OF BETTER INSTABIL. THIS AXIS SHUD REACH I29 BY 06Z AND ONLY DRIFT SLOWLY SEWD THE REST OF THE NIGHT. SO WL LIKELY SEE RW/TRW ALONG AND E OF I29 THRU THE NIGHT AND ENDING JAMES VALLEY AND WEST LATER THIS EVE. HAVE NOT HAD ANY SVR WX WITH THIS FEATURE AND FEEL THIS THREAT WL CONT TO DECREASE AS IT APPROACHES I29 AS H85 CONVERGENCE WEAKENS AS FLOW BECOMES MORE WLY AFTER 06Z. MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO GRIDS EARLIER AND DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY UPDATES. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS MAINLY EXPECTED THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY. EXCEPTION TO THIS WILL BE FOUND IN THE VICINITY OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY AS OF 02Z WILL SHIFT EAST INTO THE I-29 CORRIDOR AFFECTING THE BETWEEN 03 AND 05Z IMPACTING THE KFSD TERMINAL. THIS ACTIVITY LOOKS TO REMAIN TO THE NORTH OF THE KSUX TERMINAL. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BEHIND THIS LINE WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT EAST POTENTIALLY IMPACTING THE KSUX TERMINAL AFTER 06Z. ANOTHER SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW EVENING...RESULTING IN ADDITIONAL CHANCES OF CONVECTION AFTER 21Z TUESDAY MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... SHORTWV MOVG INTO AREA FROM THE W AND INCRG MOISTUR SHUD CONT TO KEEP A FAIRLY WELL DEFINED BAND OF SHRA WITH ISOLD TSTMS MOVG EWD/ENEWD ACRS FA TNGT. WITH HEATG AND MARGINAL INSTBLTY THIS AFTN AND A MINOR RIPPLE OR TWO INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...WILL NOT CUT THE BAND OFF AS SHARPLY AS I WUD IF WE HAD ONLY THIS ONE LTL BAND MOVE THRU...THO IT IS HARD TO SEE A VERY PROLONGED RAIN ANYWHERE. ANOTHER BAND OF SHRA IS BEGINNING IN CENTRAL SD WITH THE PRIMARY WAVE. WITH THE OBVIOUSLY WEAK THERMAL CONTRAST OVER AREA...MODEST INSTABILITY AND SHEAR...SVR THREAT IS MARGINAL BUT CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLD HAILER OR WIND GUSTS...AND RAINFALL WL GNRLY BE LIGHT BECAUSE IT WILL NOT LAST LONG. ANYWAY...SHRA SHUD EXIT STEADILY LATE TNGT...AND ERY MRNG WORKERS AND STUDENTS SHUDNT GET WET GOING TO WORK/SCHOOL. AS FOR TEMPS...GUIDNCE LOWS PRBLY PRETTY GOOD. EVEN ERYR THAN EXPECTED CLEARING SHUDNT COOL IT OFF TO MUCH LATE TNGT WITH LINGERING LOW LVL SRLY/SWRLY FLOW HELPING TO STUNT ANY LATE NGT LOW LVL COOLING. /WILLIAMS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY IS STILL CHARACTERIZED BY OUR EXTREMELY WAVY PATTERN MOVG THRU THE QS ZONAL FLOW. TRYING TO PIN THINGS DOWN IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND CONFIDENCE IS NOT OVERLY HIGH IN THIS FCST. WITH COOL TEMPS ALOFT THIS WEEK ALLOWING FOR STEEP LAPSE RATES...IT JUST WL NOT TAKE MUCH TO GET SOME SHRA/TS GOING OFF AND ON WITH ANY WAVE PASSAGE. TUESDAY MORNING UPPER QG FORCING EXITS OUR ERN FA POSSIBLY LINGERING A BIT OF SHRA IN OUR FAR E. BUT OTHERWISE OUR WELL ADVERTISED SECOND S/W IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS INFLUENCES THE SRN PTNS OF OUR FA BY MID AND LATE AFTERNOON. LESS CHCS TO THE N OF I 90...AND ALMOST TOOK OUT THE AFTERNOON POPS IN OUR NRN AREA. HOWEVER IT IS ALL DEPENDENT ON EXACTLY HOW FAR N THE CENTRAL PLAINS WAVE SCOOTS OUT OF THE CENTRAL RCKYS...AND THE NAM DOES HAVE IT A BIT FURTHER N THEN THE GFS AND ECMWF. THEREFORE I CANNOT SIT HERE AND GUARANTEE A DRY FCST IN OUR NRN HALF. ANOTHER WL MIXED DAY IS IN STORE AND GIVEN NAM/GFS H85 TEMPS...SEASONAL TO ABV NORMAL TEMPS ARE LIKELY AS THERE WL LIKELY BE AT LEAST PARTLY SUNNY SKIES DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. FOR TUE NIGHT...DID NOT NECESSARILY BUY THE HANG BACK WAVE THAT THE NAM IS ADVERTISING. SO KEPT THE WAVE PROGRESSIVE PER THE STRONG FLOW ALOFT. THEREFORE HIGHEST POPS ARE WARRANTED IN OUR SE...AND QUITE FRANKLY...MODERATE INSTABILITY IS NOTED CWA WIDE IN THE EVENING SO CANNOT RULE OUT EVEN SMALL POPS IN OUR WEST. ALTERED OUR GOING MINS VERY LITTLE. WED SHOULD ACTUALLY BE A FAIRLY DECENT DAY...WL MIXED WITH WARM TEMPS BUT BREEZY NW WINDS BY AFTERNOON. WARMED UP OUR MAX TEMPS DUE TO THE MIXING AND PARTIAL SUNSHINE. ALMOST PUT IN SOME INSTABIITY SHRA LATE WED AFTERNOON IN OUR ERN HALF WHERE BETTER MID LVL MOISTURE EXISTS WITH STEEP LLV LAPSE RATES. BUT ALREADY HAVE POPS IN NEARLY EVERY 6 HR PERIOD SO DECIDED TO LEAVE OUT FOR NOW...BUT MAY HAVE TO ADD ON FUTURE SHIFTS. BUT THEN A THIRD WAVE INFLUENCES OUR CWFA WED NIGHT. STRONG JET STREAK IS MOVG EWD RIGHT THROUGH THE CENTRAL RCKYS...PLACING A GOOD PORTION OF THIS AREA IN A LEFT EXIT REGION. RIGHT NOW...IT APPEARS THE BEST LEFT EXIT REGION AND ASSOCIATED AREA OF ENHANCED LIFT MOVES QUICKLY EWD ACROSS OUR SRN FA. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS ARE SHOWING STRONG H85-H7 FRONTOGENESIS IN OUR SRN FA ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WAVE...BUT WL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON PLACEMENT FOR REFINEMENTS EARLY THIS WEEK. MIN TEMPS WED NIGHT STILL LOOKED PRETTY GOOD WITH NO BIG ALTERATIONS. WITH HGT FALLS THURSDAY AFTERNOON...SOMETHING WE DO NOT HAVE WED AFTERNOON...DECIDED TO KEEP OUR SLGT CHC POPS OF INSTABILITY SHRA/TS GOING DUE TO THE ABUNDANT MID LVL MSTR AND STEEP LAPSE RATES. BUT AGAIN...HARD TO PIN DOWN WHO HAS THE BEST CHC SO JUST HAD TO BROAD BRUSH. ANOTHER WL MIXED DAY SO BOOSTED MAX TEMPS A BIT. /MJF IN THE EXTENDED THURSDAY NIGHT THRU MONDAY...CONTINUED THE TREND OF TRYING TO FOLLOW THE ECMWF. THE ECMWF IS STILL QUITE BULLISH WITH A UPPER TROF AFFECTING THIS AREA ON FRIDAY...WITH SOME POSSIBLE INFLUENCE AS EARLY AS THURSDAY NIGHT. THE GFS HAS BEEN OFF AND ON WITH THIS FEATURE AND THUS LESS CONSISENT. SO ONCE AGAIN WAS FORCED TO KEEP LOW POPS GOING THURSDAY NIGHT...AND HAD TO EXPAND THEM TO COVER THE ENTIRE FA ON FRIDAY. SO FAR...KNOCK ON WOOD...SATURDAY LOOKS LIKE A TOTALLY DRY DAY. BUT WAA BEGINS AGAIN SAT NIGHT WHICH COULD PRODUCE A FEW SHRA IN OUR SW CORNER LATE AT NIGHT. A LONGWV TROF THEN MAY DIG IN THE WRN CONUS SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH STRONG JET SUPPORT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THEREFORE MOVED THE SMALL POPS EWD ON SUNDAY..WITH BETTER CHCS FOR RAIN SUN NIGHT AND MON. AS FAR AS TEMPS...UNDERCUT GUIDANCE VALUES FOR SAT MORNING MINS DUE TO ANTICIPATED CLEARING SKIES AND DRY FLOW BEHIND THE FRIDAY WAVE. WE HAD NO TROUBLE DROPPING INTO THE 30S THIS PAST WEEKEND AND SEE NO REASON WHY WE CANNOT DO IT AGAIN. OTHERWISE IN THIS KIND OF UNSETTLED AND LOW CONFIDENCE PATTERN...IT IS ADVISABLE NOT TO STRAY TOO FAR FM GUIDANCE READINGS. /MJF && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 416 PM CDT MON MAY 04 2009 SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098- IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-051200- AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA- CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE- DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON- IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN- LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN- OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN- SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON- 416 PM CDT MON MAY 04 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA... SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. AN ISOLATED STORM OR TWO COULD BECOME SEVERE ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 29 THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WOULD BE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. FLOODING... FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE JAMES RIVER THROUGH MOST OF MAY. THE RIVER WAS NEAR CREST FROM HURON TO FORESTBURG THIS MORNING...AND SHOULD CREST FURTHER DOWNSTREAM THIS WEEK AND NEXT. AFTER CREST HOWEVER...THE RIVER WILL FALL ONLY VERY SLOWLY. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST ISSUED FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE BEST CHANCE OF STORMS WILL BE OVER NORTHWEST IOWA AND NEAR THE MISSOURI RIVER IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. WHILE THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK.
The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:35 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck the roof of a house in Brookings, starting a fire which damaged the attic and roof.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, May 2009
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: 173247.