A powerful round of thunderstorms brought tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds to parts of the Plains and northern High Plains, with impacts stretching from Texas and Kansas to Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Missouri. Among the most significant reports were a confirmed EF-2 tornado in Kansas, baseball-sized hail in South Dakota, and an 86 mph wind gust measured in central South Dakota.
The storms developed throughout the afternoon and evening, producing a variety of hazards as they tracked across multiple states. While some communities experienced brief tornadoes and hail-producing supercells, others dealt with damaging straight-line winds that downed trees, damaged power infrastructure, and disrupted travel.
Tornadoes Reported in Kansas and Wyoming
The strongest tornado of the day occurred near Riley, Kansas, where a National Weather Service survey later determined that an EF-2 tornado touched down between approximately 5:13 PM and 5:23 PM local time. Additional details from the damage survey were not immediately available, but the rating indicates winds between 111 and 135 mph.
Earlier in the afternoon, storm chasers documented a tornado near Waconda Lake, just south of Cawker City, Kansas. Photos and video shared through Spotter Network and social media showed the tornado over the southwestern portion of the lake. No damage was reported.
A third tornado report came from northeastern Wyoming, where emergency management officials photographed a brief landspout northeast of Gillette. Unlike traditional tornadoes that develop from rotating thunderstorms, landspouts often form beneath developing showers and tend to be shorter-lived.
South Dakota Sees Largest Hail Reports
The largest hail report came from near Yale in Beadle County, where hailstones up to 2.75 inches in diameter, roughly the size of a baseball, were reported. Additional reports from the area indicated hail ranging from golf ball size to baseball size.
Other notable hail reports included:
- 1.75-inch hail near Cottonwood Lake and southeast of Tulare, South Dakota
- 1.50-inch hail near Bancroft, Miller Dale Colony, and Sunshine Bible Academy in South Dakota
- 1.75-inch hail near Ortonville, Minnesota
- Quarter-sized hail reports across portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Missouri, and Texas
Large hail forms when strong thunderstorm updrafts repeatedly carry developing hailstones through subfreezing air high within a storm. The largest stones often develop within rotating supercell thunderstorms, which were present across portions of the northern Plains during the event.
Damaging Winds Cause Power Outages and Tree Damage
Damaging wind reports were widespread throughout the day, particularly across Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
One of the most impactful reports came from Wichita, Kansas, where downed power poles and electrical lines forced the closure of Interstate 235. More than 7,000 customers reportedly lost power as storms moved through the area. Wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph were also reported elsewhere across Wichita and nearby Derby.
Additional wind damage reports in Kansas included large tree limbs down in Mulvane, a tree limb falling onto a power line in Clay Center, and reported damage to a homestead near Marysville.
Farther east, thunderstorms moving through northwest Missouri brought numerous reports of downed limbs, damaged utility lines, and broken trees. Near Darlington, emergency management officials reported a two-foot-diameter tree snapped by strong winds, while additional reports of downed wires and tree damage were received near Savannah and south of St. Joseph.
Powerful Wind Gusts Measured Across the Northern Plains
As storms evolved during the evening, several weather stations recorded significant wind gusts.
The strongest measured gust of the event reached 86 mph near Danforth in Hand County, South Dakota. Other notable observations included:
- 72 mph near Rosebud, South Dakota
- 72 mph near Sparks, Nebraska
- 71 mph near Wolsey, South Dakota
- 71 mph near Lower Brule, South Dakota
- 68 mph near Vivian, South Dakota
- 67 mph near McLean, Texas
- 63 mph near Eli, Nebraska
- 63 mph near Huron, South Dakota
- 62 mph near Four Corners, Wyoming
Many of these strongest wind reports occurred after storms began organizing into larger clusters, allowing powerful outflow winds to spread across broader areas.
From a confirmed EF-2 tornado in Kansas to baseball-sized hail and wind gusts exceeding 80 mph in South Dakota, the day’s storms delivered a wide range of severe weather hazards across the Plains. Additional storm reports may continue to emerge as local officials and National Weather Service offices complete damage assessments.
This data came from Storm Reports provided by the Storm Prediction Center: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/
For any questions pertaining to this article, please contact kaitlin@coxweatherservices.com