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EF2 tornado in Harding County, South Dakota

Tornado June 28, 2018 · Harding County, South Dakota

EF2

Rating

7.0 mi

Path length

300 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 300 yards (0.17 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado developed just south of SD Highway 20 near mile marker 17, where it snapped power poles and trees near a house. A farm outbuilding was also severely damaged, with most of its exterior walls collapsed. Based on video evidence, the tornado then continued northward across rural areas northwest of Buffalo and crossed Clanton Road before dissipating. The tornado was rated an EF-2 with peak wind speeds estimated near 115 mph.

The wider storm

A tornadic thunderstorm tracked east-northeast from Montana across Harding County during the evening. The storm produced several tornadoes, including four in Harding County. The largest of the tornadoes was rated EF-3 and caused significant damage at a couple of ranches.

Began near Buffalo (45.5562, -103.7596).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF3 Harding County EF2 Harding County EFU Harding County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 765221. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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