Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Dakota, June 28 to 29, 2025

At approximately 6:53 p.m. on June 28, 2025, a tornado touched down in a field about five miles northwest of Clear Lake, just south of an unoccupied farmstead. While no full-time residents lived on the property, the house was still used intermittently as a family cabin. As the tornado approached, it first tore through an expansive shelterbelt, snapping and uprooting numerous trees as it closed in on the property. The tornado then flipped a shipping container used for storage including lawnmowers, grills, and outdoor furniture. A nearby shed was completely destroyed, and an empty concrete stave silo was toppled. When the tornado reached the house, the winds were powerful enough to shift the structure entirely off its century-old foundation. Significant tree damage continued on the north side of the property as the tornado moved through the remaining shelterbelt. From there, the tornado tracked northeast, snapping more trees as it crossed 178th street. It continued north northeast crossing both 177th and 176th streets near Lake Coteau. Eyewitnesses near Lake Coteau reported seeing the tornado as well as damage that included twisted road signs. The tornado lifted around 7:08 p.m., ending a 15-minute path that stretched approximately 3.4 miles.

A brief, short lived tornado touched down in an open field.

A road partly washed out from flash flooding due to heavy rainfall. Water was still over the road the next day.

A tornado developed east of Clear Lake, South Dakota, on the evening of June 28, 2025. Around 8:10 p.m., the tornado was still in a disorganized stage but was strong enough to intermittently touch down, rip a roof and door off of a barn and flip irrigation pivots on the north side of Highway 22 about two and a half miles east of Clear Lake. By approximately 8:14 p.m., the tornado crossed to the south side of Highway 22 and began to intensify. From there, it tracked slowly eastward, frequently changing appearance. Numerous reports, photos, and videos captured the tornado shapeshifting, including a distinct wobble or dancing motion. During this time, the tornado passed over a gravel pit, where large trees were snapped and windows were broken out of heavy machinery. Continuing east, the tornado reached 483rd Avenue, where it caused additional tree damage. Around 8:26 to 8:27 p.m., it crossed back to the north side of Highway 22, briefly stalled, and brought down a power pole. The tornado then picked up speed and continued east toward a farmstead on 484th Avenue, arriving around 8:31 p.m. The core of the tornado passed just north of the main house, but the property still sustained significant damage. A portion of the house roof panels were ripped off and windows were broken out. A machine shed was completely destroyed, along with a garage and another outbuilding. The shelterbelt on the north side of the property was heavily damaged, with tree trunks snapped, trees uprooted, and large branches broken. Around 8:32 p.m., the tornado continued east, passing north of another farmstead where a single shed was destroyed. Then, at approximately 8:34 p.m., the tornado directly struck a farmstead. Evidence of ground scouring was visible in the field before the tornado reached the property. As it approached, it tore through a wide shelterbelt, snapping and uprooting trees and completely blocking the driveway with debris. The house, which included the original structure that was over a century old combined with a newer addition, was completely wiped from its foundation. The debris was thrown west. The residents sheltered in the basement, where hay bales were lofted into the air and landed on top of them. Despite the extreme damage, only two non-life-threatening injuries were reported. A garage and machine shed directly east of the house were also completely swept off their slabs. An SUV and a half-ton Chevy Silverado pickup were inside the garage. Another SUV was parked outside. The two SUVs were lofted and ended up wedged in trees approximately 50 to 60 yards northeast of where the garage once stood. Many of those trees exhibited debarking. The half-ton Chevy Silverado pickup was hurled nearly 300 yards northeast. The truck's rear axle was torn completely off during flight, with no evidence of the vehicle rolling or tumbling until it hit the ground. A horse trailer and other farm equipment in and next to the machine shed were also thrown into the shelterbelt. On the south side of the property, two empty metal grain bins were wiped clean from their foundations. A concrete foundation barn was dismantled, a pole barn collapsed, and an empty concrete silo was completely swept from its slab. As the track continued northeast, fence posts were sheared off at ground level, and large pieces of debris were driven into the crop ground with extreme force. A trail of debris was scattered into the adjacent fields. The tornado track turned more to the north-northeast as it crossed 181st Street. More tree damage was observed, with trunks snapped and large branches down. Debris was caught in fence lines, and hay was seen hanging from power lines in the area. The tornado crossed 180th street and somewhere around 8:45 p.m. it began to rope out, swirling over an open field and tracking back to the southwest. It finally lifted around 8:49 p.m., concluding a nearly 40-minute track that stretched roughly 9.71 miles. The tornado was rated as a high-end EF3 with wind speeds estimated between 155 to 165 mph.

Hamlin county emergency management posted photos of flooded fields, ditches full and water running over 465th Ave north of Estelline.