At 2:11 Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls issued a surprise Tornado Warning for portions of Sioux County. Samantha Garret with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls reported more instability occurred in the atmosphere earlier in the day with some partial midday clearing. Cloud rotation was initially indicated by radar near Maurice, moving slowly to the north and northeast. Heavy rains obscured any visual confirmation of a tornado until 2:38 when law enforcement confirmed a tornado on the ground 2.5 miles SW of Sioux Center.
The storms also brought heavy rainfall to the area with Sioux Center totals ranging from 4.75 to 5.5 inches by 3:30pm which prompted a Flash Flood Warning for the area. Law enforcement issued no travel advisories for the entire community of Sioux Center and portions of Rock Valley because of the rain. Most roadways in Sioux Center held deep standing water as the storm water system became overwhelmed. In addition, a transformer became submerged in the northwest part of Sioux Center, causing a power outage in that part of the city.
Damage assessments will be made in the coming days as the National Weather Service surveys the data.
