CARTHAGE - A confirmed tornado in Miner County did not cause damage Tuesday during a severe thunderstorm that brought rain and hail.
According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, the severe thunderstorm formed late Tuesday afternoon and slowly moved through the Howard and Carthage area around 7:30 p.m.
Carthage received about an inch of hail with reports of hail piles up to 6 inches deep.
At 8:20 p.m., a trained spotter reported a tornado 3 miles northwest of Vilas. The tornado remained over open fields for about 200 yards and was about 50 yards wide, according to a report issued by the NWS on Wednesday.
"The tornado was only on the ground for a minute or two," the NWS said, officially classifying the tornado as an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
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Miner County Emergency Manager Bob Calmus was at home when the tornado started to form.
"It grew bigger than it looked," Calmus said. "It got a lot darker and (the storm) just hung there."
A chance of afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers is possible in the central part of South Dakota Wednesday and Thursday. The National Weather Service will be watching potential severe weather around the Yankton and Tyndall area throughout the day Thursday.
