The National Weather Service says a powerful storm that swept through South Dakota is officially being classified as a derecho.
Monday’s storm came with powerful winds as well as rain, lightning and some hail as it moved from central to southeastern South Dakota into Iowa.
Several spots recorded wind gusts over 80 miles per hour. Several communities, including Sioux Falls and Hudson, reported widespread damage. No series injuries were reported in connection to the storm.
The Storm Prediction Center defines a derecho as a system with gusts at least 58 miles per hour across a front at least 60 miles wide, spanning a track at least 250 miles long. NWS officials told SDPB the July 28 storm met those requirements.
This is South Dakota’s first confirmed derecho since 2022, when two derechos hit the state in a matter of months.
