South Dakota, 2021

Lightning Strike in South Dakota, October 13, 2021

October 13, 2021 · NWS ABR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A lightning strike from an unusual early morning October thunderstorm damaged a home in Clear Lake.

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
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 ABR wrote it up.

A lightning strike from an unusual early morning October thunderstorm damaged a home in Clear Lake.

What forecasters said that day

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 13, 1:38 AM CST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 13, 1:38 AM CST, 2 hours 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 13, 2:22 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
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        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Deuel

When
October 13, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Deuel County, Clear Lake
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
44.750, -96.680

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, October 2021

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 990036.