Sioux Falls Squall: “I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It”

On May 12, Nate Hansen of Dell Rapids, S.D., saw a wall of dust appear on the horizon.

“We didn’t get much warning,” Hansen told “AgDay’s” Clinton Griffiths. “I looked up and realized holy cow, this thing is coming quick. In 10 minutes, it was on top of us.”

(mute to avoid explicit, but expressive, language)

Hansen was one of many farmers who faced strong winds and possible tornadoes, which caused widespread damage in parts of the Midwest. In South Dakota, the National Weather Service reported wind gusts above 100 mph.

“I’m 44 years old, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Hansen said. “I’ve never seen a wall of dust like that. You couldn’t tell if it was a tornado or what. We got everything buttoned up and then took cover. You knew something bad was coming.”

The damage was eye-opening, he says.

“We had two buildings that were a complete loss and two others that were pretty damaged,” he says. “I’d say we also have probably 20 trees down.”

Here are a few other scenes from the storm damage, as shared on Twitter: