McCook County Emergency Management

06/16/2026

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM CDT WEDNESDAY...
Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph
expected.

https://inws.ncep.noaa.gov/a/a.php?i=129195632

06/12/2026

Road Closure to begin on 6/16/26, 2026, S.D. Highway 38 will be closed to through traffic from 421st Avenue to S.D. Highway 25 east of Mitchell. This Highway 38 closure will be in place for the duration of the reconstruction project through November 2026.

Upcoming Construction:

Highway 38 from Highway 25 to 430th Avenue will be closed and constructed in September 2026.

https://dot.sd.gov/mitchell38

06/09/2026

**THIS POST CONTAINS OUTDATED INFORMATION**

The Level 3 of 5 (Enhanced) risk for severe storms has expanded south for this evening into tonight, now covering most areas west of Vermillion to Sioux Falls to Ivanhoe Minnesota. Large hail of 2 inches or larger will be the primary threat with initial storms in the early evening, with the threat transitioning to damaging wind gusts to 75 mph as storms move east and northeast later evening into the overnight hours. Isolated tornadoes are also possible. Have multiple ways to receive warnings, especially at night.

06/05/2026

Reminder. SIREN TEST TODAY AT 10 AM

06/04/2026

Keep an eye on the weather the next couple of days. Here is the latest.

06/03/2026

**** THIS POST CONTAINS OUTDATED INFORMATION ****

Scattered strong to severe storms are possible later this afternoon into this evening. Strong storms look to develop between 4 and 6 pm today in south-central South Dakota. Large hail to 2 inches in diameter is the main threat with this initial activity, though tornadoes (some of which could be strong) will also be possible. Storms will then form into a line as they move eastward, turning the severe threat to mostly damaging winds to 70 mph, though brief spin-up tornadoes will be possible along the line. The severe weather threat continues through 10 pm to midnight as storms weaken as they move into northwestern Iowa. Stay weather aware and make sure to have multiple ways of receiving weather alerts!

06/01/2026

These images are later shortly before they issued a second Tornado warning for this cell. Just west and south of Canistota.

06/01/2026

Since tonight has generated lots of questions again. We have a standard process for weather sirens.

All McCook County Cities have installed outdoor warning siren systems to provide an additional warning of impending danger from threatening weather. As their name implies, our sirens are pre-incident warning devices manufactured and installed to be heard when people are out-of-doors or outside of their homes or other buildings. Although the outdoor warning sirens are often heard inside buildings, they are not designed or installed specifically to be heard inside buildings within their geographic coverage area.

When the National Weather Service initiates a Tornado Warning for any portion of McCook County, the local 911 Center in Mitchell (PSAP) will send a county-wide tone that simultaneously sounds all sirens in McCook County.

If you'd like to read the entire Document For severe Weather Emergencies here is the link.

https://www.mccookcountyem.com/_files/ugd/bc65c1_1b02a1e5b5e74e64af45b0f678d24cea.docx?dn=Appendix%205%20Severe%20Weather%20Emergency.docx

06/01/2026

Here is the cell / Rotation that caused all the ruckus tonight in McCook County. This was taken from Hwy 81 South of I-90 @ 18:05 from my truck.

05/30/2026