South Dakota, 2018

Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 30, 2018

July 30, 2018 · NWS FSD · 4 events in 1 county or zone

Storms developed in a low-CAPE, low-shear environment during the afternoon. A weak boundary concentrated low-level shear and 0-3km CAPE, which storms were able to use to spin up a couple brief tornadoes during the developmental phase.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.

Storms developed in a low-CAPE, low-shear environment during the afternoon. A weak boundary concentrated low-level shear and 0-3km CAPE, which storms were able to use to spin up a couple brief tornadoes during the developmental phase.

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado, 1 funnel cloud, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Minnehaha

When
July 30, 4:15 PM CST to 4:17 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County, 3.57 mi W of Ellis
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
43.580, -96.900

Funnel cloud was observed from the NWS office out the west window for a couple of minutes.

Tornado, Minnehaha

When
July 30, 4:16 PM CST to 4:17 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County, 2.72 mi NE of Pumpkin Center to 2.81 mi NE of Pumpkin Center
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.11 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
43.581, -97.047

Weak tornado touched down briefly, less than a minute. In that time, the tornado managed to destroy a garage.

Hail, Minnehaha

When
July 30, 4:19 PM CST to 4:20 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County, 2.12 mi ESE of Pumpkin Center
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.540, -97.040

Hail produce some minor crop damage.

Tornado, Minnehaha

When
July 30, 4:26 PM CST to 4:27 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha County, 5.43 mi SW of Ellis to 5.35 mi SW of Ellis
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
43.510, -96.900

Brief touchdown in open area. No damage.

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 2018Warnings in South Dakota, July 2018

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: 773558, 773564, 773559, 773566.