June 28, 2025, wasn't just another humid Saturday. While most of the U.S. was busy shaking off the dust from a massive heatwave that had just broken across the Northeast, a monster was waking up in the Dakotas. It’s funny how we track weather sometimes. We look at the "third warmest June on record" and think about global averages, but if you were standing in Deuel County, South Dakota, that evening, the global average was the last thing on your mind. You were looking at an EF3 tornado.
Weather June 28 2025 was basically a tale of two extremes. On one hand, you had this localized, violent atmospheric tantrum in the Upper Midwest. On the other, a massive "heat dome" was finally sliding its way out of the Ohio Valley, leaving a trail of broken records and pavement buckles in its wake.
The South Dakota Supercells
If you’re a weather nerd, you know that the "Significant Tornado Parameter" is the gold standard for predicting when things are going to get ugly. By late afternoon on the 28th, that parameter was screaming. Supercell thunderstorms started firing up south of Watertown, SD. These weren't your garden-variety summer rumbles. These were cyclic, tornadic beasts.
One particular tornado—the "Gary EF3"—became the headline. It touched down between Clear Lake and Gary, South Dakota, staying on the ground for nearly 40 minutes. It covered almost ten miles. That’s a long time for a tornado of that strength. It wasn't just spinning in a field, either. It hit multiple farmsteads, leveling houses and tossing a half-ton pickup truck 300 yards. When the National Weather Service (NWS) Aberdeen office went out to survey the damage, they found wind speeds had reached 165 mph.
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Honestly, it’s rare for South Dakota to see that level of intensity. Statistically, less than 4% of the state's tornadoes ever reach EF3 status. But June 2025 was weird like that. Just eight days prior, an EF5 had hit North Dakota. The atmosphere was incredibly primed.
A Minnesota Mess
As the sun started to set, the energy didn't just dissipate; it shifted east. The storms crossed the state line into Minnesota and evolved into what we call a "QLCS"—a Quasi-Linear Convective System. Basically, it’s a fancy way of saying the individual storms merged into a nasty line.
This line of storms wasn't just about wind; it was about "spin-ups." The NWS Twin Cities eventually confirmed eight tornadoes from this specific event. Most were smaller EF0s and EF1s near places like Cologne and Waconia, but they caused plenty of headaches. Think power lines down, turkey barns shredded, and roads washed out in Yellow Medicine County. People in the western Twin Cities metro were spending their Saturday night in basements while sirens wailed. It was a mess.
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- Deuel County, SD: High-end EF3 tornado, 165 mph winds.
- White River Valley, SD: Separate EF2 tornado, caused two injuries.
- Carver County, MN: Five individual tornado touchdowns.
- Rainfall: Portions of Minnesota saw 5 to 6 inches of rain in just a few hours.
The Heat That Wouldn't Quit
While the Midwest was ducking for cover, the rest of the country was still sweating. You’ve probably forgotten how brutal the week leading up to June 28, 2025, actually was. Over 100 million people were under heat alerts. In New York, Central Park hit 99°F on the 24th, and by the 28th, the humidity was still so thick you could practically wear it.
The Ohio Valley was the epicenter of the weirdness. States like Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky saw temperatures about 2.18°F above their "normal" June averages. That might sound small, but for a monthly average, it's huge. Cities like Indianapolis and Columbus actually broke records for the most consecutive nights where the temperature never dropped below 70°F. When it doesn't cool down at night, the human body—and the power grid—never gets a break.
In Wisconsin, the heat was so persistent that Eau Claire stayed above 80°F for 80 straight hours. That doubled their previous record. The state ended up reporting over 50 "pavement buckles" because the roads literally expanded until they snapped.
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Why 2025 Felt Different
Berkeley Earth and NOAA both eventually labeled June 2025 as the third-warmest June since we started keeping track in the 1850s. We were coming off a massive El Niño transition, but instead of cooling down quickly, the oceans stayed stubbornly hot. This heat provided the "fuel" for the moisture that fed those 6-inch rainfalls in Minnesota.
It’s worth noting that while the global temperature was high, some places actually stayed "cool." Parts of India and Northern Australia were actually below average. Weather is local. Global warming doesn't mean it’s hot everywhere at once; it means the system has more energy to throw around. On June 28, that energy was thrown squarely at the American Heartland.
Lessons for Next Time
Looking back at the data from the NWS and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, there are a few things you can actually do to be ready for the next "June 28" type of event:
- Monitor the Nightly Lows: If you see a forecast where the temperature doesn't drop below 75°F at night for several days, that’s your signal that the grid is going to be stressed. Check your A/C filters early.
- Don't Ignore "Experimental" Outlooks: On June 28, the NWS was using experimental graphical hazardous weather outlooks that highlighted the tornado risk hours before the first watch was issued. These tools are often available on local NWS office websites (like NWS Aberdeen or Twin Cities).
- Flash Flood Reality: In 2025, we saw that "training" storms—where rain falls over the same spot repeatedly—are becoming more common. If you’re in a low-lying area and a supercell is "stalled," don't wait for a formal flood warning to move your car to higher ground.
The weather on June 28, 2025, was a reminder that even "average" months on a global scale can produce localized disasters that feel anything but average. Whether it was the 165 mph winds in South Dakota or the record-breaking nightly lows in the Midwest, it was a day that proved the atmosphere was anything but quiet.
To stay ahead of similar patterns in the future, you should bookmark the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the National Centers for Environmental Information for deep-dive climate archives. Keeping an eye on the "Climate Shift Index" can also tell you just how much a specific heatwave was influenced by long-term trends.