Tornadoes · United States · South Dakota
1979 tornadoes in South Dakota
32 tornadoes touched down in South Dakota in 1979, 25 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 0.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Every tornado in South Dakota in 1979
May 15 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15 | 9:30 PM CDT | F0 | Todd | 0.1 | 10 |
May 28 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28 | 8:00 PM CDT | F0 | Roberts | 0.1 | 220 |
May 29 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29 | 3:55 PM CDT | F0 | Brookings | 1.0 | 10 |
June 16 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 16 | 5:27 AM CDT | F1 | McCook | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
June 19 13 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 19 | 3:55 PM CDT | F1 | Brule | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 4:00 PM CDT | F1 | Charles Mix | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 4:58 PM CDT | F1 | Yankton | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 5:05 PM CDT | F1 | Potter | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 5:10 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 6:00 PM CDT | F1 | Minnehaha | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 6:18 PM CDT | F2 | Codington | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 6:33 PM CDT | F1 | Turner | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 6:35 PM CDT | F1 | Turner | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 6:55 PM CDT | F1 | Brown | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 7:05 PM CDT | F1 | Day | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 19 | 7:10 PM CDT | F1 | Roberts | 0.1 | 10 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 19 | 7:21 PM CDT | F1 | McPherson | 0.1 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million |
June 24 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 24 | 1:15 PM MDT | F0 | Pennington | 0.1 | 10 |
July 8 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 8 | 10:00 PM MDT | F1 | Fall River | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
July 11 2 tornadoes
July 13 3 tornadoes
July 14 2 tornadoes
July 18 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 18 | 7:00 PM MDT | F1 | Jackson | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
July 19 2 tornadoes
August 3 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 3 | 12:30 AM CDT | F2 | Roberts | 20.5 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
August 7 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 7 | 5:45 PM MDT | F0 | Lawrence | 0.1 | 10 |
September 7 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | 10:15 PM CDT | F2 | Todd | 1.0 | 133 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Every tornado in South Dakota since 1950Warnings in force in South DakotaThe live radar over South Dakota
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.