EF1 tornado in Lincoln County, South Dakota

Based on Sentinel satellite imagery, the tornado spun up in Turner County around 2 miles west southwest of Lennox in a field southwest of the intersection of 464th Avenue and 279th Street. The tornado tracked east-northeast for around one-half mile and crossed into Lincoln County just south of the intersection of 279th Street and 464th Avenue. After another half mile, the tornado uprooted seven large cottonwood trees and damaged numerous others at the Lenkota Country Club. The tornado continued into the western portions of Lennox north of the city park, with a majority of damage to large trees between 4th and 5th Avenue as the path turned more eastward and eventually a bit southeastward. The most significant damage occurred as the tornado approached State Highway 17, with a trampoline deposited high in a gnarled tree along South Cherry Street, and the complete destruction of a shed just east of Highway 17. The tornado lifted about a quarter mile east of Highway 17, just east of Lennox. Areas south of the path experienced strong rear-flank winds. While in Turner County, the tornado was rated EFU, while in Lincoln County it was rated EF1. The average path width for the tornado was 100 yards. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.

An unstable warm sector with MUCAPE up to 2000-2500 J/kg developed during the afternoon between an advancing cold front across southeast South Dakota and a gangly warm front extending into southwest Minnesota. An approaching weak impulse spurred rapid development of multiple rounds of storms near the warm front, initially discrete, with upscale growth into short bowing segments. Secondary development occurred during the evening along the cold front, which evolved into a slow-moving linear system with hail, wind, and heavy rainfall with shear vectors increasingly parallel to the boundary.