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Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

The Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley continue with warm and dry conditions. Any fires that initiate could spread quickly. The warm temperatures will expand across the Southern Plains into the Southwest where numerous records are expected through the weekend. Meanwhile, a cold front will move southward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes region where some snow will develop this weekend. Read More >

Overview

On June 29, 2019 a surface boundary was located across south central South Dakota. Very strong instability along the boundary was realized when a thunderstorm exploded along it. The thunderstorm updraft stretched energy along the boundary into a very slow moving tornado near Allen, SD.

The tornado was visible for many miles. It was unusual because it only moved within a two mile area, but lasted about 40 minutes. Fortunately, it spun over corn fields most of the time. It damaged a house, blew over a couple of grain bins, snapped power poles, and carried grain bags. The tornado was rated EF-1 by an NWS storm survey team.

More information about the environment of the Allen tornado can be found here

Tornado near Allen, SD
Courtesy Chris O.
Tornado near Allen, SD Tornado near Allen, SD Tornado near Allen, SD
Courtesy Gail S. Courtesy Josie D. Courtesy Ang G.
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