Storm reports for May 12, 2022

On May 12, 2022, a derecho brought two rounds of damaging wind: a line of storms that raced northeast from southern Nebraska that afternoon, and a second line that evening across parts of Iowa, Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota.¹ In South Dakota, gusts reached 107 mph near Tripp, where the town grain elevator was destroyed, and 97 mph at the Madison airport.^1,2 In Madison, wind and falling trees damaged buildings across the city and left five families' houses uninhabitable.³ In Dante, roofs came off businesses, parts of roofs were peeled off in downtown Arlington, and houses and roofs were widely damaged in Brookings.¹

In central Nebraska, gusts of 80 to 90 mph damaged or destroyed many buildings and grain bins in and around Arcadia, and NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $1.5 million in property damage there.⁴ In Minnesota, an EF2 tornado with 115 mph winds tracked from near Verndale to near Sebeka, tearing steel roofing and siding panels off farm buildings.⁵ That morning, 2-inch hail near Foley, Minnesota, broke some windows and damaged vehicles.⁶ The Storm Events Database records three deaths from the winds, two in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, and one in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.^7,8,9