May 30, 1998: Deadly Tornado Nearly Destroys South Dakota Town

On the evening of May 30, 1998, the town of Spencer, South Dakota was nearly destroyed by one of the deadliest tornadoes in South Dakota history.

A storm produced an F4 tornado that nearly destroyed the small town just east of Mitchell, and killed six people. Winds from the twister were estimated to be between 207 and 260 miles per hour.

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MORE: Tornado Tuesday - Remembering the Day Dozens Of Twisters Ripped Through South Dakota

On that Saturday in 1998 the tornado, which had first touched down west of town, moved through Spencer. As it left town, the tornado continued southeast through farmland and ended near I-90.

The Spencer tornado was one of five produced by the same supercell storm in just over an hour that night.

The Spencer, SD 1998 Tornado according to the National Weather Service:

The tornado killed six people
More than one-third of the town's 320 residents were injured, and
Most of the town's 190 buildings were destroyed
Damage was estimated at $18 million

You can see the damage in this report from KSTP-TV.

At approximately 8:40 p.m. (all times Central Daylight Time [CDT]) on Saturday, May 30, 1998, a violent tornado struck the small town of Spencer, South Dakota. Spencer is in extreme western McCook County, about 45 miles west-northwest of Sioux Falls. The tornado killed six people, injured more than one-third of the town's 320 residents, and destroyed most of the town's 190 buildings. Damage is estimated at $18 million. The Spencer tornado (rated F4 on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale), was one of five tornadoes, along a nearly continuous damage track approximately 30 miles long." - National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls

5 Myths About Tornadoes You Shouldn't Believe

Sioux Falls, South Dakota may not be smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley, but we still get our share of severe thunderstorms. Thunder, rain, lighting, and tornadoes are all possible.

The thing about tornadoes is that they are very destructive and very rare. Most people probably won’t even see an actual twister in their life. But if they do, it can mean devastation.

We don’t need to be at battle stations all spring and summer and freak out every time it gets cloudy.

We do need to think, prep, and pay attention.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

Castlewood, South Dakota Tornado Damage Photos

Sioux Falls was nailed with a derecho storm on Thursday 12th, 2022. If you're like almost everyone who hears that, you're probably saying what the heck is a Haboob?

A derecho event is described as a violent wind storm that is associated with large sand and dust storms. This type of storm is often accompanied by a thunderstorm and is most common during dry summer months.

Sioux Falls and the surrounding area received numerous reports of property damage to homes, cars, trees, and of course all the scattered power outages throughout the area due to the high winds in excess of 70 to 80 mph, we should still consider ourselves to be somewhat fortunate, compared to Castlewood, South Dakota.

Gallery Credit: Marc Elliot

Filed Under: Severe Weather, South Dakota, Spencer, Tornadoes, Weather

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