In the U.S., a combination of tornado outbreaks and epic snowstorms can occur on any given day, whether it’s during spring, fall, or even winter. This unique weather phenomenon is often referred to by meteorologists as a “kitchen sink” pattern because it seems like every type of weather event is happening all at once. Picture this happening not just on the same day, but in the same state.
Sixty years ago today, on May 8, 1965, an incredibly powerful F5 tornado ripped through parts of southern South Dakota. This tornado caused significant damage, demolishing seven farm homes in eastern Tripp County. Remarkably, only one person was injured – a driver whose car was thrown near his house. To this day, this tornado remains the only one in South Dakota to be rated as either F5 or EF5, the highest ranking for tornado damage.
Interestingly, on that very same day and less than 200 miles away, western South Dakota experienced heavy snowfall. The town of Lead received an impressive 36 inches of snow, while Rapid City saw nearly 9 inches of wet snow.
Late spring snowstorms are not uncommon in the Black Hills region of western South Dakota due to its higher elevation and colder air, which often results in precipitation falling as snow while rain or severe thunderstorms hit the plains to the east. This contrast between heavy snow in the High Plains and severe weather at lower elevations can also be observed in other Plains regions, as the land gradually slopes up towards the west. For instance, the highest point in Kansas, Mt. Sunflower (4,039 feet) near the Colorado border, is 2,700 feet higher than Wichita located just over 250 miles to the southeast.
Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist at weather.com with over 25 years of experience in national and international weather coverage, finds extreme and unusual weather patterns to be his favorite topics. You can connect with him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.
