A thunderstorm produced large hail and damaging winds in Moody County early in the afternoon of March 19th.
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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.
A thunderstorm produced large hail and damaging winds in Moody County early in the afternoon of March 19th.
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 Mar 19, 9:25 AM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 1025 AM CDT MON MAR 19 2012 .DISCUSSION.../ISSUED AT 1025 AM CDT/ BAND OF SHOWERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO COME UP INTO MOST OF WESTERN HALF OF AREA LATE THIS MORNING WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY NEAR AND EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY...MORE SCATTERED SHOWERS FURTHER EAST. THE INTRUDING DRYLINE WILL BE FIGHTING THE PRECIPITATION IN OUR FAR WEST...SAID DRYLINE ALREADY HAVING MADE IT INTO CHAMBERLAIN. THIS WILL TREND TO AN AFTERNOON CLOSER TO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN CARRYING WITH PRECIPITATION STEADILY TRENDING TO A CONCENTRATION IN OUR EAST. NEW NAM DOES NOT LOOK THAT EXCITING RAIN WISE THOUGH SINCE WE ARE IN SPRING...IT HAS THE USUAL AND OBVIOUS TROUBLES WITH CONVECTION. ANYWAY...THE RAIN MOVING INTO THE FAR WEST CURRENTLY SHOULD BE TRENDING TO A DECREASING THREAT IN THE AFTERNOON. AM KEEPING THE HIGH AFTERNOON POPS IN OUR EAST. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SLIGHT SEVERE THREAT IN OUR SOUTHEAST...MAINLY IOWA...AS DYNAMICS...SHEAR...AND INSTABILITY OUTLOOK IN FLUX. NAM HINTS AT A LITTLE BREAK IN UPPER SUPPORT LATER THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE RENEWING THE ATTACK WITH A MUCH STRONGER THAN EARLIER INDICATED WAVE FOR TONIGHT. THIS WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM THREAT FOR TONIGHT IN OUR EASTERN TWO THIRDS...AND IF OTHER MODELS BEAR OUT THE NAM WILL MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT BEFORE TOO LATE. IF THE NAM IS CLOSE ON THIS WAVE IT WILL SURELY BE TOO WEAK ON RAIN AMOUNTS FOR THE SAME REASON AS ABOVE...BUT AGAIN WILL BE CHECKING OUT MORE INFO BEFORE GOING WITH ANY DELUGE. TEMPERATURES ARE REQUIRING SOME ADJUSTMENT UP TODAY MANY AREAS WITH CLOUD COVER NOT THAT THICK AWAY FROM RAIN AREAS. / WILLIAMS && .PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED AT 355 AM CDT/ MAIN CHALLENGE TODAY WILL BE COVERAGE AND TIMING OF CONVECTION ACROSS THE AREA...WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SEEMINGLY BEING TIED TO STRONG MOISTURE TRANSPORT ON A 40 KT LOW LEVEL JET STREAMING INTO OUR AREA FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...AND WEAK MIDLEVEL SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. THESE SUBTLE FEATURES ARE OF COURSE DIFFICULT TO TIME...THOUGH MODELS ARE HINTING AT ONE SUCH FEATURE TRACKING OVER OUR AREA BY AFTERNOON. PRESENTLY SEEING CONVECTION CONFINED TO WESTERN KANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING...AND TIMING THIS CONVECTION FROM PURE ADVECTION...WITHOUT ANY NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT...WOULD PUT IT INTO OUR SOUTHERN AREAS BY LATE MORNING. WOULD EXPECT MORE WIDESPREAD COVERAGE TO DEVELOP ROUGHLY FROM THE INTERSTATE 29 CORRIDOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH STRONG MOISTURE TRANSPORT CONTINUING AND AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE TRACKING THROUGH THE REGION. NOT EXPECTING MUCH IN THE WAY OF HEATING TODAY WITH ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER...SO INSTABILITY REMAINS PRETTY LIMITED WITH AFTERNOON ML CAPE VALUES ONLY AVERAGING AROUND 500 J/KG...THOUGH WITH EFFECTIVE SHEAR VALUES OF AROUND 50 KTS AND 0 TO 3 KM HELICITY AVERAGING BETWEEN 150 TO 200 M2/S2...CANNOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN OUR EAST BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH LARGE HAIL AND A GUSTY WIND. HIGHS TODAY ARE LOOKING TO BE JUST EITHER SIDE OF 70. WITH REGARD TO ANY FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TODAY...A DRYLINE PRESENTLY SITUATED OVER WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA EARLY THIS MORNING IS EXPECTED TO PUSH TO THE EAST THROUGH THE DAY...NUDGING INTO OUR FAR WEST BY AFTERNOON...YIELDING DEW POINT VALUES IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S. THIS WOULD TRANSLATE TO RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES IN THE MID 20S FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS THIS AFTERNOON IN OUR EXTREME WESTERN BRULE AND GREGORY COUNTIES...WITH WINDS AROUND 20 KTS...SO WILL BE SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON. TONIGHT SHOULD SEE ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST WITH DIMINISHING MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND LIFT. COOLER AIR WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE NIGHT WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WITH LOWS DROPPING DOWN TO NEAR 40 IN OUR FAR WEST TO THE LOWER 50S EAST OF INTERSTATE 29. MODELS CONVERGING ON ANOTHER MORE MEANINGFUL SHORTWAVE TRACKING THROUGH OUR SOUTHEAST ON TUESDAY...WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AND MIDLEVEL FRONTOGENESIS SETTING UP THROUGH PORTIONS OF NORTHWESTERN IOWA AND SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA...AND RAISED POPS TO CATEGORICAL OVER THAT AREA ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. COOLER AIR CONTINUES TO SETTLE INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY WITH 850 MB TEMPS RUNNING IN THE SINGLE DIGITS C...AND LOOKING FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. POTENTIALLY WET CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE IN OUR SOUTHEAST FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW BEGINS TO MEANDER NORTHWARD FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. MEANDERING UPPER LOW IS MAIN CONCERN FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE LONGER RANGE PERIOD THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MODELS DIFFER ON GENERAL TRACK OF THE LOW AS IT WANDERS EAST-NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS/MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY LATE THIS WEEK...BUT SIMILAR IN INDICATIONS OF TROWAL AND BROAD ISENTROPIC LIFT/MID LEVEL WARM ADVECTION SPREADING NORTHWARD INTO OUR FORECAST AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY EVENING. BETTER CHANCES FOR RAIN LOOK TO BE FOCUSED ACROSS EASTERN PARTS OF THE AREA...BUT WEAK LIFT/MOISTURE DOES EXPAND INTO WESTERN PARTS OF THE CWA SO WILL INCLUDE SOME LOW CHANCE POPS MOST AREAS. ISENTROPIC LIFT/MOISTURE LIFT NORTH OF THE AREA BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY...WITH JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME LIGHT SHOWERS COULD LINGER OVER FAR NORTHEAST AREAS INTO FRIDAY MORNING. LATER FRIDAY UPPER LOW MAY LIFT FAR ENOUGH NORTH TO BRING SOME LIGHT SHOWERS BACK INTO FAR SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE CWA...BUT LOW CONFIDENCE IN EVOLUTION OF THIS WRAPPED UP SYSTEM WARRANTS ONLY POPS IN SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE FOR NOW. GENERAL MODEL CONSENSUS SHIFTS THE UPPER LOW EAST OF THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT WITH UPPER RIDGING BRINGING A DRY WEEKEND TO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ON THE MILD SIDE FOR LATE MARCH WITH 925MB TEMPERATURES LARGELY 10-15C THURSDAY/FRIDAY. SOME DISCREPANCY IN LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURES FOR THE WEEKEND...WITH ECMWF DRIVING SOME COOLER AIR SOUTHWARD WHILE GFS PUMPS WARMER AIR BACK INTO THE AREA WITH THE BUILDING UPPER RIDGE. A COUPLE OF GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE SUPPORTIVE OF COOLER ECMWF IDEA...BUT VAST MAJORITY SEEM TO SUPPORT WARMER GFS/GEM SOLUTION AND THUS WILL HEDGE WEEKEND TEMPERATURES TOWARD WARMER GFS GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION.../FOR THE 12Z TAF ISSUANCE/ SHOWERS/SCT THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXPAND NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING...AHEAD OF MID-UPPER LEVEL WAVE EJECTING OUT OF DEEP WESTERN CONUS TROUGH. INSTABILITY MEAGER BUT ENOUGH TO MENTION THUNDER FOR KFSD/KSUX AREAS...THOUGH SHOWERS SHOULD BE PREDOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE FOR THE BULK OF EVENT THE LATE MORNING INTO THE EVENING. PATCHY HIGH-END MVFR STRATUS AROUND THOUGH MOST CEILINGS LOOK TO BE IN VFR RANGE AND THIS EXPECTED TO BE THE CASE OUTSIDE THUNDERSTORMS. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY...BUT SHOULD SUBSIDE TOWARD EVENING. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 1142 AM CDT MON MAR 19 2012 SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098- IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-201200- 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- 1142 AM CDT MON MAR 19 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA... SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER. WHILE MOST STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS... ISOLATED STORMS WITH HAIL TO QUARTER SIZE AND 60 MPH WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...AND NEAR INTERSTATE 29 IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD END OR DECREASE TO SHOWERS SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN AREAS GENERALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM SIOUX CITY IOWA TO WORTHINGTON MINNESOTA ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AT THIS TIME...THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER 300 PM CDT IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...EXTREME EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. WILLIAMS
The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:18 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds damaged several outbuildings on a farmstead.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2012
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: 372833, 372835, 372836.