Tornado watch expires for Sioux Falls area; city receives 3 inches of rain
Update 11 p.m.: The tornado watch has expired for southeastern South Dakota, according to the NWS.
It's unclear at this time whether the radar-indicated tornado spotted around the Parker, Monroe and Marion counties produced any damage or whether any injuries were reported.
The NWS of Sioux Falls, however, is reporting areas throughout southeastern South Dakota saw anywhere between nearly an inch to 3 inches of rainfall.
Areas in southwestern Iowa experienced multiple flash flood warnings and received as much to 6-to-8 inches of rainfall, the service reported.
Most of us saw some beneficial rain today. Unfortunately some of us saw damaging rain. Northwestern IA had several flash floods issued this afternoon. Here are a few preliminary totals from around the region. What did you see where you were? pic.twitter.com/VZlgdiIlPd
— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) August 6, 2023
Update: 3:34 p.m.: A tornado warning has been issued for Parker, Monroe and Marion counties until 4 p.m. The tornado was radar indicated.
"Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter," the warning states. "Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely."
Tornado Warning including Parker SD, Marion SD and Monroe SD until 4:00 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/XtMdMrukSd
— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) August 5, 2023
Update 3 p.m.: A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota until 10 p.m., according to the NWS.
A watch means conditions are right and the atmosphere is favorable to producing a certain type of storm risk. A warning means the risk is actually happening, whether the risk is radar indicated or sighted.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota until 10 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/1OVB3WXAa3
— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) August 5, 2023
South Dakota counties include:
BON HOMME
CLAY
DAVISON
HANSON
HUTCHINSON
LAKE
LINCOLN
MCCOOK
MINER
MINNEHAHA
MOODY
SANBORN
TURNER
UNION
YANKTON
Earlier story: The National Weather in Sioux Falls is urging residents in southeast South Dakota to remain weather aware Saturday afternoon because the chance for tornadoes have increased for the area.
Severe storms are anticipated to move through the area between 1 and 10 p.m. Saturday. The chance for tornadoes are anticipated to be highest between 3 and 7 p.m. from the lower James River valley toward the Interstate 29 corridor, the NWS of Sioux Falls tweeted at about 10 a.m.
10 am UPDATE: A slight narrowing of the severe weather threat, but also an increase in the threat for tornadoes this afternoon and early evening from the lower James River valley toward the I-29 corridor.
Outdoor plans today? PLEASE stay weather aware! pic.twitter.com/CWM1CKtjOq— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) August 5, 2023
The weather service also stated "all modes of severe weather are possible" throughout the day, including large hail up to the size of a quarter and damaging winds to 60 mph.
"Locally heavy rain is expected in any thunderstorm, with someareas receiving 1 to 3 inches of rainfall by Sunday afternoon," the NWS stated on its website. "Slow moving thunderstorms over urban areas could produce flash flooding."
Strong to severe storms are on the table for today.
All modes of severe weather are possible with large hail up to the size of a quarter, damaging winds to 60 mph, and tornadoes.
The main timeframe for severe weather today is between 1 pm and 10 pm.
Stay weather aware! pic.twitter.com/3obuRk73CW— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) August 5, 2023
What to expect the rest of the weekend?
Here's a look at what to expect as storms move through the area, and how the week will start Monday, according to the NWS:
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 81. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 p.m. Low around 63. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. High near 69. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. North northwest wind around 10 mph.
Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
How can you stay informed?
Stay with the Argus Leader for more by refreshing this page throughout the night, or visiting @Argus911 on Twitter for the latest alerts through our live feed.
Also, make sure your phone is set to receive weather emergency alert notifications, or follow @NWSSiouxFalls on Twitter.
If neither of those work for you, other ways to receive alerts include tuning into a NOAA Weather Radio, other news media coverage, the Emergency Alert System on radio and TV broadcasts, desktop applications, mobile applications, and other alerting methods offered by local and state public safety agencies, according to the NWS website.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Tornado watch expires for Sioux Falls area; city receives 3 inches of rain
