Thunderstorm Wind — Sanborn, South Dakota

2025-07-27 · near Letcher, Sanborn, South Dakota

Event narrative

Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by the South Dakota Mesonet site located 2 miles east-northeast of Letcher.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms rapidly developed across northeast South Dakota into west central Minnesota during the early evening of July 27 within a volatile environment (MUCAPE 5000-6000 J/Kg) ahead of a southward moving surface boundary. These thunderstorms expanded into a mesoscale convective system and dropped south across the region through the remainder of the evening into the early overnight hours on July 28. Most reported wind gusts ranged from 55 to 65 mph with one location reporting a gust to 70 mph. Isolated tree damage was also observed across northwest Iowa.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.9100, -98.0900)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1288157. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.