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Public Information Statement...UPDATED
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
238 PM CDT Wed Jul 2 2025

...NWS Damage Survey for 06/28/2025 Tornado Event Update #2...

An additional tornado has been added to this report. The brief
touchdown occurred around 7:34 PM which is between the EF2
tornado (northwest of Clear Lake, SD) and the EF3 tornado
(southwest of Gary, SD). The tornadoes are listed in
chronological order. It is worth noting that a 4th tornado
occurredeast of Gary, SD, on the Minnesota side, and is being
documented by the Twin Cities National Weather Service.

The report summaries have also been updated with additional detail.

Pending any further information, this is expected to be the final
update.

.Tornado #1 - Northwest of Clear Lake, SD...

Rating:                 EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind:    115-125 mph
Path Length /statute/:  3.43 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   60 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             June 28, 2025
Start Time:             6:53 PM CDT
Start Location:         5.2 miles northwest of Clear Lake, SD
Start Lat/Lon:          44.7956 / -96.7694

End Date:               June 28, 2025
End Time:               7:08 PM CDT
End Location:           2.4 miles southwest of Altamont, SD
End Lat/Lon:            44.8345 / -96.7388

At approximately 6:53 p.m. on June 28, 2025, a tornado  touched
down in a pasture about five miles northwest of Clear Lake, just
south of an unoccupied farmstead. While no full-time residents
lived on the property, the house was still used intermittently as
a family cabin. As the tornado approached, it first tore through
an expansive shelterbelt, snapping and uprooting numerous trees
as it closed in on the property.

The tornado then flipped a shipping container used for storage,
scattering its contents, including lawnmowers, grills, and
outdoor furniture, across the area. A nearby shed was completely
destroyed, and a concrete stave silo was toppled. When the tornado
reached the house, the winds were powerful enough to shift the
structure entirely off its century-old foundation. Significant
tree damage continued on the north side of the property as the
tornado moved through the remaining shelterbelt.

From there, the tornado tracked northeast, snapping more trees as
it crossed 178th street. It continued north northeast crossing
both 177th and 176th streets near Lake Coteau. Eyewitnesses near
Lake Coteau reported seeing the tornado as well as damage that
included twisted road signs. The tornado lifted around 7:08 p.m.,
ending a 15-minute path that stretched approximately 3.4 miles.

.Tornado #2 - West of Gary, SD...

Rating:                 EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind:    65-75 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.16 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   10 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             June 28, 2025
Start Time:             7:34 PM CDT
Start Location:         2.25 miles west of Gary, SD
Start Lat/Lon:          44.789 / -96.5037

End Date:               June 28, 2025
End Time:               7:37 PM CDT
End Location:           2.25 miles west of Gary, SD
End Lat/Lon:            44.7894 / -96.5004

A brief, short lived tornado touched down in an open field.
Eyewitnesses reported branches from nearby trees being broken and
tossed.

.Tornado #3 - Southwest of Gary, SD...

Rating:                 EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind:    155-165 mph
Path Length /statute/:  7.52 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   100 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               2

Start Date:             June 28, 2025
Start Time:             8:10 PM CDT
Start Location:         3.4 miles east of Clear Lake, SD
Start Lat/Lon:          44.7483 / -96.6132

End Date:               June 28, 2025
End Time:               8:49 PM CDT
End Location:           1.9 miles southwest of Gary, SD
End Lat/Lon:            44.7741 / -96.4877

A tornado developed east of Clear Lake, South Dakota, on the
evening of June 28, 2025. Around 8:10 p.m., the tornado was still
in a disorganized stage but was strong enough to intermittently
touch down, flipping irrigation pivots on the north side of
Highway 22 about three miles east of Clear Lake.

By approximately 8:14 p.m., the tornado crossed to the south side
of Highway 22 and began to intensify. From there, it tracked
slowly eastward, frequently changing appearance. Numerous reports,
photos, and videos captured the tornado shapeshifting,
including a distinct wobble or dancing motion. During this time,
the tornado passed over a gravel pit, where large trees were
snapped and windows were blown out of heavy machinery.

Continuing east, the tornado reached 483rd Avenue, where it
caused additional tree damage and collapsed the roof of a shed.
Around 8:26 to 8:27 p.m., it crossed back to the north side of
Highway 22, briefly stalled, and brought down a power pole.

The tornado then picked up speed and continued east toward a
farmstead on 484th Avenue, arriving around 8:31 p.m. The core of
the tornado passed just north of the main house, but the property
still sustained significant damage. Part of the houses roof
panels were ripped off and windows were broke out. A machine shed
was completely destroyed, along with a garage and another
outbuilding. The shelterbelt on the north side of the property was
heavily damaged, with tree trunks snapped, trees uprooted, and
large branches broken.

Around 8:32 p.m., the tornado continued east, passing north of
another farmstead where a single shed was destroyed. Then, at
approximately 8:34 p.m., the tornado directly struck a third
farmstead. Evidence of ground scouring was visible in the field
before the tornado reached the property. As it approached, it tore
through a wide shelterbelt, snapping and uprooting trees and
completely blocking the driveway with debris.

The house, which included an original structure over a century
old combined with a newer addition, was completely wiped from its
foundation. The debris was thrown west and north. The residents
sheltered in the basement, where hay bales were lofted into the
air and landed on top of them. Despite the extreme damage, only
two non-life-threatening injuries were reported.

A garage and machine shed just north of the house were also
completely swept off their slabs. Vehicles inside were lofted,
with two ending up wedged in trees approximately 50 to 60 yards
northeast of where the garage once stood. A horse trailer and
other farm equipment were also thrown into the shelterbelt.
Another vehicle, a half ton Chevy Silverado pickup, was hurled
nearly 300 yards northeast. The trucks rear axle was torn
completely off during flight, with no evidence of the vehicle
rolling or tumbling until it hit the ground.

On the south side of the property, two empty metal grain bins
were wiped clean from their foundations. A concrete foundation
barn was dismantled, a pole barn collapsed, and an empty concrete
silo was completely swept from its slab.

As the track continued northeast, fence posts were sheared off at
ground level, and large pieces of debris were driven into the
crop ground with extreme force. A track of debris was scattered
into the adjacent fields.

The tornado track turned more north northeast as it crossed 181st
Street. More tree damage was observed, with trunks snapped and
large branches down. Debris was caught in fence lines, and hay was
seen hanging from power lines in the area.

By 8:44 p.m., the tornado began to rope out, swirling over an
open field between 181st and 180th Street. It finally lifted by
8:49 p.m., concluding a nearly 40-minute track that stretched
seven and a half miles.

&&

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:

EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>200 mph

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS
Storm Data.

$$