Officials Confirm Tornado Hit SD Town

WALL, SD - The National Weather Service has confirmed that it was a tornado that destroyed an airplane hangar and the three small airplanes inside in the southwest South Dakota town of Wall.  Officials had been unsure whether the destruction was caused by a tornado or strong straight-line winds.

Fire Chief Jim Kitterman said no one was hurt Sunday night, but the two-seater planes were thrown about 150 yards and one ended up in a row of cedar trees. He said a canoe in the hangar was thrown 250 yards.

The Weather Service says that damage indicated wind speeds around 100 mph, which rates EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale.  The service says uprooted trees and broken tree branches throughout town were typical of 75 to 80 mph wind speeds.

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