First ever documented February tornado in South Dakota classified as ‘EF U’

Feb. tornado documented in northeast South Dakota (photo credit Alex Resel)

WATERTOWN, S.D. (KFGO KWAT) – South Dakota’s first-ever documented tornado in February will go down as an “EF-U” on the Fujita scale, which gives twisters a ranking from EF-0 to EF-5, based on their strength and wind speed.

The U stands for “unknown.”

The tornado touched down Monday afternoon five miles east of Castlewood, southeast of Watertown. It touched down in an open field, and was on the ground for only a minute.

No damage was observed, and without damage, the tornado was documented as an Enhanced Fujita Scale Unknown or “EF-U.”