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Severe Thunderstorms, Excessive Rain and Heat Hazards

A Moderate Risk of severe thunderstorms (level 4 of 5) is in the outlook across portions of the Midwest today. Damaging winds, a few tornadoes and frequent lightning with heavy rainfall are in the forecast. Meanwhile, dangerous heat across the southern Plains into the Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and Northeast will expand into Friday. Risk for wildfires for the central Rockies and Sacramento Valley. Read More >

Overview

During the late afternoon and evening of Wednesday, June 16, a slow-moving thunderstorm lingered over the Dupree, South Dakota, area for more than three hours and produced tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and torrential rainfall that caused widespread flooding. Law enforcement, local spotters, and storm chasers observed 16 tornadoes from southwest of Dupree to north of town. Multiple tornadoes were ongoing at the same time. Significant damage occurred in Dupree, where several mobile homes were smashed, grain bins were blown over, roofs were damaged, and trees were downed. Two people were injured in Dupree.

A storm survey conducted by the NWS determined the damage in Dupree was caused by a combination of straight-line winds and tornadoes. The tornadoes in the town of Dupree were likely rain-wrapped and not visible. Due to the widespread damage from straight-line winds, the exact tracks of the tornadoes could not be determined, although the damage pattern did reveal tornadic rotation. The extent of the damage indicated wind speeds of 120 to 130 mph, which is rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale.

Two Tornadoes near Dupree, SD
Two tornadoes near Dupree, SD (Photo courtesy of Roger Hill)
Tornado near Dupree, SD Large tornado near Dupree Tornado with satellite tornado near Dupree
Several tornadoes near Dupree, SD; the right photo shows a "satellite" tornado around the main tornado (Photos courtesy of Roger Hill)
Tornado near Dupree Tornado near Dupree Tornado near Dupree
Several tornadoes near Dupree, SD (Photos courtesy of Roger Hill)
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