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

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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.