What the record says
On 1 July 1973, a tornado touched down near Warner, South Dakota. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 0.3 miles long and up to 30 yards wide, rated F3 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 1 person and injured 3.
- F3Fujita rating
- 1death
- 3injuries
- 0.3 mipath length
- 30 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 3 and killed at least one person.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 45.25, -98.50. The record has no end point for this tornado, so it is drawn as a dot.
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in South Dakota
- Farmer, South Dakota tornado30 May 1998, F4, 6 deaths, 150 injuries, 14 miles long
- Venturia, North Dakota tornado31 July 1966, F3, 2 deaths, 4 injuries, 26.4 miles long
- Irene, South Dakota tornado7 June 1965, F4, 1 death, 7.8 miles long
- Groton, South Dakota tornado21 June 1961, F3, 1 death, 7 injuries, 156.3 miles long
- Burton, Nebraska tornado8 May 1965, F5, 1 injury, 30.1 miles long
- Colton, South Dakota tornado7 June 1993, F4, 5 injuries, 54 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1973
- Demopolis, Alabama tornado27 May 1973, F4, 7 deaths, 199 injuries, 139.1 miles long
- Calhoun Falls, South Carolina tornado31 March 1973, F4, 7 deaths, 30 injuries, 22.6 miles long
- Mart, Texas tornado10 March 1973, F4, 6 deaths, 77 injuries, 23.3 miles long
- Tiffin, Ohio tornado10 May 1973, F3, 6 deaths, 100 injuries, 50.1 miles long
- Pearsall, Texas tornado15 April 1973, F4, 5 deaths, 12 injuries, 23.3 miles long
All tornadoes of 1973 · South Dakota tornado history · All notable tornadoes