Emergency Roof Repair Critical As Eastern South Dakota, Western Minnesota Recover From Deadly Tornado Damage on Thursday, May 12, 2022
Commercial Roofing & Restoration

Hurricane-force winds and tornados ripped through Eastern South Dakota and Western Minnesota on Thursday, May 12th, leaving a wake of property damage and tragic human losses. RestoreMasters placed every available commercial roofing & restoration contractor on standby as residents assess tornado property damage.
“We have had many storms before, but the number of communities that have been affected, we just haven’t seen before,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reportedly said.
More than 110,000 power outages were reported across Eastern South Dakota and Western Minnesota by 9 pm on May 12, 2022, with emergency utility crews cutting that figure to 68,000 overnight. Tractor-trailers were flipped on their sides, roofs were torn off, and farm structures sustained heavy damage. At least three people lost their lives due to high-wind tragedies.
A local tornado path map shows a massive high wind and tornado front stretching from northeast Nebraska, through Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as far as the North Dakota border and above St. Paul, Minnesota. Light gray areas on the map show high wind incidents, and darker sections indicate greater intensity and potential tornadoes.

Videos and images are posted by residents and news centers on social media:
My parents had two trees completely uprooted next to their house in rural NE SD. Only damage is the deck next to their house and one of the out buildings. S/O to those in the discord server that are monitoring and gave me updates of the storm! pic.twitter.com/EYK4dI5blt
— bay (@BayayKnipps) May 12, 2022
Sioux Falls rn pic.twitter.com/D4FmiaYJ80
— jawn (@yawngregg) May 12, 2022
Brandon #SD just before the storm pic.twitter.com/vUnZy0usZU
— Jason Uden (@TheOnlyJTU42) May 12, 2022
Tornado Warning - strong winds as this storm passes through Britton, SD. #VNLFirstAlert #sdwx @ValleyNewsLive @SSchnellbach_WX pic.twitter.com/voFsLKMi16
— Eric Whitehill (@torchaser) May 12, 2022
While not as crazy as NW Sioux Falls, it was definitely a strong storm through SD. Damage reported in Dell Rapids area and all around Sioux Falls. Be safe. #SDwx pic.twitter.com/pxg3AxWWOp
— Kickin' Country (@KIKNCountry) May 12, 2022
Current view awaiting the storm front in Watertown, SD. #sdwx pic.twitter.com/Bo6RMToBYa
— Jason Bednar (@JasonBednar1) May 12, 2022
#BREAKING #USA #SD
— loveworld (@LoveWorld_Peopl) May 12, 2022
🔴 SOUTH DAKOTA:#VIDEO TERRIFYING DUST STORM BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM IN SIOUX FALLS! #Thunderstorm wind kicking up a huge wall of dust out ahead of storms in Sioux Falls.
📹chubbyclubbie#BreakingNews #SouthDakota #SiouxFalls #DustStorm #TormentaDeArena pic.twitter.com/fdcXSffxsE
Storm chasing? Why do I feel like this bad boy is chasing *me*? #sdwx Clark SD ish, pic.twitter.com/AtF40A2fNP
— Michelle Randall (@MichelleR22SD) May 12, 2022
Pretty structure associated with the storm over Rockham, SD.#SDWX #WxTwitter pic.twitter.com/940d5e5sI5
— 𝕋𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕠𝕣 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕕 (@hippiestrmchsr) May 12, 2022
Sparky Storm! Outside Cresbard, SD USA May 12, 2022#Stormchasing #Stormchaser #OzOrBust #AuthorsWhoChase pic.twitter.com/XYbSzNozBw
— Princess General Alethea Kontis (@AletheaKontis) May 12, 2022
#sdstorm pic.twitter.com/igzpqsGFi5
— jgauth (@jgaubleedblue) May 12, 2022
A viewer in Sanborn County sent us this photo of a wall of dust blown in by powerful winds at the front of this storm system.
— Dakota News Now (@dakotanews_now) May 12, 2022
Follow the latest warnings, watches, and updates here: https://t.co/95PutnoFpv pic.twitter.com/EEbB0vjjFk
The National Weather Service high wind, hail, and tornado damage map shows a dense cluster of storms concentrated in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota, with scattered fronts across the country on Thursday, May 12th. All told, 18 tornados, 108 hailstorms, and 424 extreme wind events inflicted wind damage to roofing systems. Wide-reaching sources reported the following Eastern South Dakota and Western Minnesota communities suffered among the worst losses.
- Arlington: Silo roofs were ripped off and downtown roofs were peeled apart.
- Big Stone City: At least one roof was completely severed from a building.
- Brookings: Trees were downed, and multiple vehicles overturned.
- Canistota: A 1,480-foot tower erected in 1976 was smashed by high winds.
- Clear Lake: A pole barn roof was reportedly destroyed with debris scattered by extreme wind gusts.
- Day County: Roof panels were lifted from commercial buildings, and shingles were torn from homes. Webster experienced winds above 70 mph.
- Elk Point: Winds topped 60 mph in the small town, with Union County experiencing gusts as high as 80 mph.
- Estelline: Multiple buildings incurred roof wind damage, including a dairy barn.
- Dell Rapids: Trees were downed, and high school outbuildings were damaged.
- Gary: A semi-truck was overturned, outbuildings leveled, and businesses sustained significant wind roof damage.
- Hartford: The roof was reportedly torn off the Coffee Cup Fuel Truck Stop.
- Hetland: A barn was leveled and debris was sent flying across Highway 14.
- Jefferson: Multiple tractor-trailers flipped between Elk Point and Jefferson.
- Madison: Lac Qui Parle County sustained winds as fierce as 94 mph, according to data from the Madison Airport.
- Long Prairie: Widespread trees were down, property damaged, and a missing shed was reported.
- North Sioux City: Winds reached 79 mph, downing powerlines and snapping trees.
- Roberts County: Campers were toppled, and the Sisseton Municipal Airport suffered wind property damage. Communities such as Corona and Summit endured hurricane-force winds of 84 mph in some areas. Trees were torn out by their roots in Ortley.
- Richmond Lake: A boat dock in excess of 1,000 pounds was lifted into the air and thrown 80 feet.
- Sandy Shore State Park: Nearly a dozen utility poles were snapped or leaning dangerously on U.S. Highway 212.
- South Shore: Extreme wind gusts blew in doors and tore roof shingles from residential and commercial structures.
- Watertown: Codington County saw trees limbs snap, shingles blown off roofs, and powerlines were downed by trees near the Watertown Airport.
- Wheaton: A roof was reportedly blown off a Traverse County building.
- Wilkin County: Minnesota law enforcement indicated larges trees were downed across the Breckenridge, Rothsay, and Campbell.
In Western Minnesota, two tornados cut paths through Traverse County. One touched down 11 miles east of Wheaton and another 6 miles east of Dumont. Both blazed a trail northeast, inflicting heavy roof wind damage. A waterspout formed at West Mason Lake in Otter Tail County.
In Eastern South Dakota, tornadoes plagued New Effington, Webster, Tunerville, Rauville, Gary, and Castlewood. Hutchinson County took the brunt of the highest-recorded winds at 107 mph, with Lake Cochrane also breaking the 100-mph threshold. RestoreMasters recently implemented roof repair and commercial building tornado cleanup after back-to-back tornadoes ravaged Seminole, Oklahoma, on Monday, May 2, & Wednesday, May 4, 2022.
Strong winds can rip open some roofing systems and cause severe roof wind damage. Older roofs are susceptible to severe wind damage, by winds as low as 50 mph. Several factors will determine the severity of roof damage: the height of the building and proximity to nearby structures, the quality of work by the original installers, the shape and angle of the roof, the age and type of roofing materials, and the impact from debris.

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