EF-1 Tornado Confirmed Near Mobridge, Caused by Weather Vortex
- Steve Jurrens
- Sep 15
- 1 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Mobridge, SD - A quick but impactful tornado, caused by a rare weather event, touched down near Mobridge, South Dakota, on Sunday, September 14, 2025. It was rated EF-1 and caused some damage to property and infrastructure before it died out.
The NWS confirmed the tornado was the result of a Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV). An MCV is a small, circling low-pressure area that can develop within a large thunderstorm complex. This particular vortex moved north along the Missouri River, and its rotation led to the development of the tornado just east of Mobridge.
The tornado's path was measured at 3.99 miles. Damage included tipped-over trailers, collapsed walls on a garage, a damaged silo, and several snapped power poles. A second tornado was also observed by a storm chaser approximately eight miles northeast of Wakpala.
In addition to the tornadic activity, the area received significant rainfall. The NWS preliminary local storm reports for September 15 confirmed high rainfall totals, including a report of 2.03 inches of rain in Mobridge and a public report of 3.25 inches south of the Sutton Bay Recreation Area over 24 hours. Another report from a CoCoRaHS station near Sutton Bay documented 2.53 inches of rain.
The NWS reports also documented other severe weather in the region on Sunday, including a measured wind gust of 58 miles per hour near Oacoma and an estimated wind gust of 68 miles per hour near the Lake Cochrane Recreation Area.
