Today marks one year anniversary of Castlewood tornado

May 12, 2023
Mike Tanner

CASTLEWOOD, S.D.–Today marks the one year anniversary of the EF-2 tornado that blew through Castlewood.

During the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 12, 2022 strong storms erupted across eastern South Dakota as part of what’s known as a derecho.

The Castlewood tornado was one of 16 tornadoes reported that day by the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen.

The Castlewood school was in the direct path of the tornado. It didn’t leave much behind, and students have spent the academic year going to school in makeshift classrooms.

Superintendent Peter Books says students and staff have been resilient to get through the past year. He says the district is on target to finish the school year in ten days.

In March, Castlewood School District voters defeated two bond issues for new and expanded classrooms and a new gymnasium.

The derecho damage had a multi-state price tag of $2.8 billion, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information’s newly updated list of billion-dollar disaster events.

Storm damage was reported in the states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota.

For more information on the Castlewood tornado, click here: https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-storms-sd-state-wire-watertown-south-dakota-00bcf158fb19d0de1232f5b492752d0e