Multiple train cars were derailed near a North Dakota town after a suspected tornado struck the area.
An estimated 60 freight rail cars were blown over on Wednesday night just east of Steele, according to Sergeant Paige Swanson, of the Kidder County Sheriff’s Department.
She said she was relieved that the storm did not cause more damage or harm to anyone.
“I am very surprised, because on the other side of the road here, there’s houses and buildings and it just missed them and it just hit the tracks,” she told KX News. “So, thankfully, that’s all that happened.”
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The National Weather Service (NWS) had a tornado warning in place for several counties, including Kidder County, where Steele is located.
Its Bismarck office posted that it was receiving “reports of a large cone tornado near Steele” and people should “take cover” at 7:55 p.m. CDT.
The rail cars are operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America. Between 20 and 30 of them were northbound, with the other half southbound.
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BNSF crews were reported at the scene, along with rail workers who made sure the crossing gates were still working safely.
Kidder and Stutsman counties were under a tornado warning until 9:00 p.m. CDT.
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A warning that specifically covered the towns of Steele, Dawson and Tappen until 8:30 p.m. CDT warned of a “life threatening situation” and urged folks to “seek shelter.”
The threats were listed as a damaging tornado and quarter-sized hail, impacting 1,189 people and four schools.
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There are still warnings for severe thunderstorms in place for different parts of North Dakota, with a flash flood alert issued for Medina, Streeter, Cleveland and Windsor.
The NWS predicts that excessive runoff may still produce the flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.
Drivers were told: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.”
The NWS attributed the thunderstorms to a cold front extending from an area of low pressure in Canada moving eastward.
Stock image of a sign welcoming drivers into the state of North Dakota on state route 200, from Montana. Several areas in North Dakota were under tornado warnings. Stock image of a sign welcoming drivers into the state of North Dakota on state route 200, from Montana. Several areas in North Dakota were under tornado warnings. AP
Forecasters said: “The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Slight Risk of Severe Thunderstorms (level 2/5) for Thursday, scattered severe thunderstorms are expected to be organized and there may be embedded supercells that may contain damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.”
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The last few days have seen multiple incidents of extreme weather hit different parts of the U.S.—from heatwaves to snowstorms to flash floods.
While millions across the Midwest struggled with a brutal heatwave, an unusually cold storm swept in from the Gulf of Alaska and hit the West Coast.
GILLETTE, Wyo. — A 60-year-old South Dakota resident died Tuesday, June 9, in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 450, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reported.
Authorities identified the motorcyclist who died as Stacy Christianson. The crash happened around 12:11 p.m. near milepost 62.1 in Campbell County.
Christianson was driving a Can-Am Spyder Roadster motorcycle east behind a Ford F250 truck that was pulling a flatbed trailer, a highway patrol report states. The truck was slowing down with its right turn signal on to turn into a road approach.
The motorcycle failed to slow down and struck the rear passenger side of the trailer, according to the report.
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Christianson was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. The driver of the truck was not injured.
Road conditions were dry, but the area experienced severe wind at the time of the crash, authorities reported. The highway patrol listed driver inattention as a possible contributing factor.
This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 11, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 11 drawing
18-19-25-31-37, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South Dakota farmer: wet weather pushes soybean planting
By Carah HartFiled Under: Crops, News, South Dakota
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A farmer in northeast South Dakota says soybean planting is dragging out beyond the final planting date due to consistent rains.
“From about May 25th on, whatever you don’t have done has been really difficult to finish up on.”
DuWayne Bosse, who’s also a crop insurance agent and market analyst, says there are only a few fields left to plant on his farm, but “I’ve got clients that have like 1,000 acres of beans left to go. I feel bad. The frustration level is high for those guys. And now, you’re past June 10, you know, if they wanted to prevent planted, they can, and a lot of them probably will.”
Bosse says he’s not expecting a lot of prevent plant in South Dakota, but some.
“Prevent plant will be lower probably even than last year (for the Dakotas), which was a low year number for total acres because North Dakota got quite a bit in. I drove through there last weekend and things look pretty good.”
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He says the corn looks good, but is behind on progress along with the soybeans.
“We’re not in that really pretty stage yet, where corn roots down and hits the nitrogen that’s in the soil for it. So that’s probably why the crop condition scores in the Dakotas are, they aren’t bad, they’re just lacking the rest of the nation.”
Severe weather has been happening this spring, but Bosse says he’s not expecting any major events in the short-term.
Tags: brownfield ag news, Corn Conditions, crop conditions, Crop insurance, DuWayne Bosse, excessive rainfall, planting delays, prevent plant, south dakota agriculture, South Dakota farmers, soybean planting
