EF1 tornado in Walworth County, South Dakota

The second tornado touched down eight miles west of Bowdle or two miles south of Highway 12 near State Highway 47. The tornado knocked down six wooden power poles before it lifted. This is consistent with an EF1 rating with winds from 86 to 110 mph.

Several supercell thunderstorms developed along a very strong warm front and produced nine tornadoes from Akaska to Bowdle to Hecla. The largest of the tornadoes was an EF4 tornado which occurred near Bowdle. This tornado produced devastating damage in the Bowdle area. The other tornadoes ranged from EF0 to EF2 and caused extensive tree and building damage. Nearly one-hundred power poles were downed along with several high line towers leaving nearly a thousand customers without power. Also, very strong straight line winds and large hail up to the size of golfballs affected parts of the area causing some damage.