Record Rainfall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Global warming is causing an increase in extreme weather events. Warmer air holds more moisture. Warmer water evaporates faster. So droughts can be more extreme. And eventually, this extra moisture can create increased precipitation, rain or snow.

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By: Christopher C. Burt , 6:34 PM GMT on June 17, 2014

As Jeff Masters blogged today (June 17th) deadly tornadoes struck Nebraska on Monday June 16th. Tornadoes also were reported in Iowa and Wisconsin. Accompanying the twisters were some phenomenal rainfalls in nearby South Dakota. One site, Canton, reported 8.43” of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. local time June 17th.

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Canton is about 15 miles southeast of Sioux Falls where 3.00” was officially measured at Foss Airfield on June 16th. Of this amount, 0.85” fell in just a five-minute period between 3:05-3:10 p.m. CDT (that’s a rate of 10.2” per hour!). The storm was accompanied by an 87 mph wind gust and hail.

The 3.00” in Sioux Falls on June 16th was preceded by 2.74” on June 15th and 1.97” on June 14th, the latter two being daily records. On June 14-15 the city picked up 4.56” in the 24-hour period of 5 a.m., June 14 to 5 a.m., June 15, just shy of the all-time (any month) 24-hour precipitation record of 4.59” set on August 1, 1975. However, the 7.71” from June 14-16 brings the June monthly precipitation total in Sioux Falls to 13.04”. This has crushed the previous all-time monthly record for the city of 9.42” set back in May 1898. Precipitation records for Sioux Falls began in June 1890, although the official POR starts in 1893 (a few days of records are missing from May and June 1891 and also from October 1893).

What is extraordinary about this month’s record rainfall in Sioux Falls is that there are still 12 days left to the month and yet the previous record has already been surpassed by a margin of 38%, this for a site with 121 years of record!