What the record says
On 30 May 1998, a tornado touched down near Farmer, South Dakota. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 14 miles long and up to 1,150 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 6 people and injured 150.
- F4Fujita rating
- 6deaths
- 150injuries
- 14 mipath length
- 1,150 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5 and it killed three or more people.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 43.75, -97.68 and the end point at 43.70, -97.43 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in South Dakota
- Venturia, North Dakota tornado31 July 1966, F3, 2 deaths, 4 injuries, 26.4 miles long
- Irene, South Dakota tornado7 June 1965, F4, 1 death, 7.8 miles long
- Groton, South Dakota tornado21 June 1961, F3, 1 death, 7 injuries, 156.3 miles long
- Warner, South Dakota tornado1 July 1973, F3, 1 death, 3 injuries, 0.3 miles long
- Burton, Nebraska tornado8 May 1965, F5, 1 injury, 30.1 miles long
- Colton, South Dakota tornado7 June 1993, F4, 5 injuries, 54 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1998
- Birmingham, Alabama tornado8 April 1998, F5, 32 deaths, 259 injuries, 30.3 miles long
- Orlando, Florida tornado22 February 1998, F3, 25 deaths, 150 injuries, 28 miles long
- Sanford, Florida tornado22 February 1998, F3, 13 deaths, 36 injuries, 16 miles long
- Gainesville, Georgia tornado20 March 1998, F3, 12 deaths, 171 injuries, 4 miles long
- Hinesville, Georgia tornado9 April 1998, F2, 4 deaths, 31 injuries, 24.5 miles long
All tornadoes of 1998 · South Dakota tornado history · All notable tornadoes