TL;DR

Four tornadoes were reported across Minnesota and South Dakota on Monday, June 29, 2026, along with 68 hail reports and 139 wind reports spanning 13 states. The tornadoes touched down near Andover and Pierpont in South Dakota and near Flom in Minnesota. Damage included metal building failures, downed trees, and power line damage, though no EF ratings have been issued yet.

What happened Monday

A complex severe weather outbreak unfolded across the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains on Monday, producing four confirmed tornadoes in Minnesota and South Dakota alongside widespread damaging winds and large hail.

The first tornado activity began around 8:01 a.m. CDT (1301 UTC) near Andover, South Dakota. According to the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen, a tornado was observed approximately one mile south of Andover and "quickly became rain wrapped." A second report one minute later, two miles south of Andover, included pictures and video of the tornado shared via Facebook.

Around 8:13 a.m. CDT, Marshall County Emergency Management relayed a report of a tornado near Pierpont, South Dakota. The time and location were estimated by officials.

The fourth tornado touched down in Minnesota near Flom at 9:17 p.m. CDT on June 29 (0217 UTC June 30). The National Weather Service in Grand Forks noted "multiple reports of brief touchdown" for this event.

All four tornadoes are listed with unknown (UNK) EF ratings in preliminary storm reports. The National Weather Service will conduct damage surveys to determine official ratings in the coming days.

Damage reports from South Dakota

The Andover area sustained the most significant documented damage. According to NWS Aberdeen, damage included:

  • Damage to several metal buildings
  • Bleachers blown over
  • A broken window
  • Metal buildings with doors and walls pushed in, leading to portions of metal roofs being compromised

Tree damage was also reported in the Amsden Dam Lake area southwest of Andover, and additional tree damage occurred within the town itself.

Nearby Bristol reported power lines down around 8:22 a.m. CDT. In Webster, South Dakota, tree branches 1–2 inches in diameter were brought down by the storms.

At Roy Lake State Park, several large trees were downed in the campground on the east side of the lake. Park officials confirmed no damage to park buildings.

Widespread wind and hail across 13 states

While the tornadoes captured attention in the Dakotas and Minnesota, the broader severe weather outbreak produced extensive wind and hail damage across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.

Wind damage was reported in 13 states: Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. A total of 139 wind reports were logged.

Notable wind reports included:

  • 84 mph gust recorded by an Ambient Weather Station 5 miles northwest of Redfield, South Dakota at 7:21 a.m. CDT
  • 80 mph gust at a mesonet station 6 miles south of Rockham, South Dakota
  • 75 mph gust in Wadena, Minnesota at 11:15 a.m. CDT, accompanied by 1.25-inch hail
  • Numerous trees downed across northern Minnesota, including a 100-foot-tall tree near Mission and two large trees that fell on a home northwest of Ball Club

In Bovey, Minnesota, several trees were reported down. Near Silica, Minnesota, time-stamped video showed a tree being knocked over, a 2-inch diameter flagpole broken, and a weather station flipped over.

Hail reports totaled 68 across the region. The largest hailstones reached 2.25 inches (larger than baseball size) near Max, North Dakota at 4:30 p.m. CDT. Other significant hail included:

  • 2-inch (hen egg size) hail in Mandan, North Dakota and 7 miles north of Bismarck
  • 2-inch hail in Lawler, Minnesota, with most hail "to the size of grapes but a few were to the size of golf balls to hen egg"
  • 1.75-inch (golf ball size) hail in multiple Minnesota locations including Barnum, Mahtowa, and near Glory

A trained spotter in Mandan reported hail ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 inches that lasted approximately five minutes. An off-duty NWS employee 5 miles north-northwest of Bismarck reported golf ball-size hail and 60 mph wind gusts, with one window on their house broken.

The broader pattern

Monday's severe weather was part of an active late-June pattern across the central United States. The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook issued Tuesday morning highlighted an Enhanced Risk for western Kansas, with a Slight Risk surrounding that area and extending over the Upper Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast.

The SPC outlook noted that "scattered severe thunderstorms are probable over parts of the central High Plains, with severe wind gusts (60 to 85 mph) being the primary hazard during the late afternoon and evening."

The setup featured a mid- to upper-level low near the North Dakota/Canadian border, with a front pushing east across the Upper Midwest. According to the SPC, "ahead of this activity, a fetch of very rich moisture will be maintained within south-southwesterly low-level flow."

The SPC outlook continued: "As the boundary layer destabilizes ahead of this disturbance, additional storms are forecast to develop later today within a very to extremely unstable airmass. Ample tropospheric flow will support organized storms, including supercells capable primarily of a hail/wind risk and perhaps a tornado."

What's next

As of Tuesday morning, June 30, no tornado watches were active. Four severe thunderstorm watches remained in effect across parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, all set to expire by mid-afternoon.

The National Weather Service will conduct damage surveys in the affected areas of South Dakota and Minnesota to determine official EF ratings for Monday's tornadoes. Survey results typically become available within 24–48 hours of an event.

Residents in areas that experienced damage should document losses for insurance purposes and report any additional damage to local emergency management offices.

Staying alert during active severe weather seasons

Late June can produce significant severe weather across the Upper Midwest, particularly when strong upper-level disturbances interact with rich low-level moisture. Monday's outbreak serves as a reminder that tornado season extends well beyond the traditional spring peak in the Plains.

Most tornado fatalities occur at night, when people are asleep and may not hear warnings. Wireless Emergency Alerts for tornado warnings bypass Do Not Disturb mode on most phones by default, though third-party weather apps are silenced by these settings.

If you live in or travel through tornado-prone regions, ensure you have multiple ways to receive warnings, including a NOAA Weather Radio and a reliable smartphone alert system.

VORTEX is a free web app at vortexintel.app that monitors severe weather nationwide. Pro ($4.99/month) places phone calls to your phone when a tornado or flash flood warning is issued for a location you care about — calls can ring through Do Not Disturb once you enable Emergency Bypass for the number, unlike most third-party app notifications.