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.

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.

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.”

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.

Commuting is for the birds!

An ostrich ruffled feathers when it escaped from a trailer and strutted onto a busy road in South Dakota — bringing cars to a halt Tuesday, according to cops and wild footage.

The 7-foot-tall birdbrain pranced into the four-lane thoroughfare in Sioux Falls at around noon and stood cluelessly in the middle of traffic for several minutes, causing drivers to squawk, footage shows.

Some commuters slammed on their breaks while others hopped out of their cars and tried to coax the towering troublemaker away from traffic by offering it food.

The avian road hog was eventually captured by its out-of-state owner and returned to a trailer, where several other ostriches were being transported, according to a police spokesman.

“The ostrich suffered no injuries, appeared just fine by us and was back with its owner before we had to take over,” Thomas Rhoades, a Sioux Falls Animal Control officer, told the Argus Leader newspaper.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the flightless bird was being taken — or how long it flew the coop before capture.

With Post wires

BROOKINGS — Fresh off another Summit League championship and NCAA tournament appearance, South Dakota State’s men’s basketball team will begin a new era in First Bank and Trust Arena in 2024-25, and the schedule for that first year in the new place has been released.

The Jacks will have something of a ‘soft open’ for the First Bank and Trust on Oct. 30, a Wednesday, when they host Black Hills State, and after playing McNeese State in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon, they officially christen their new arena when the Jacks host Long Beach State on Nov. 8 (a Friday).

They complete their tour of South Dakota facilities on Nov. 14 when they take on Northern Colorado in Rapid City.

Notable home non-conference games include Southern Miss on Nov. 20 and Eastern Washington on Dec. 7.

The Jacks play two power conference foes on the road, visiting Colorado on Dec. 13 and Alabama on Dec. 29, the latter of which is their final game before Summit League play.

Here’s the complete schedule:

Oct. 30 vs Black Hills State (exhibition)
Nov. 4/ vs McNeese State, Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls
Nov. 8 vs Long Beach State
Nov. 14 vs Northern Colorado, Summit Arena, Rapid City
Nov. 18 vs Mount Marty
Nov. 20 vs Southern Miss
Nov. 24 vs Duquesne – Cayman Islands Classic
Nov. 25 vs Boise State or Hampton – Cayman Islands Classic
Nov. 26 vs TBD Cayman Islands Classic
Dec. 2 vs Dakota Wesleyan
Dec. 4 at Montana
Dec. 7 vs Eastern Washington
Dec. 11 at Nevada
Dec. 13 at Colorado
Dec. 19 vs Chadron State
Dec. 29 at Alabama
Jan. 2 vs Denver
Jan. 8 at St. Thomas
Jan. 11 at Omaha
Jan. 16 vs North Dakota
Jan. 18 vs Oral Roberts
Jan. 23 at Kansas City
Jan. 25 vs South Dakota
Jan. 30 at North Dakota State
Feb. 1 at North Dakota
Feb. 6 vs St. Thomas
Feb. 13 vs Omaha
Feb. 15 at South Dakota
Feb. 19 vs North Dakota State
Feb. 22 vs Kansas City
Feb. 27 at Oral Roberts
March 1 at Denver
Summit League tournament: March 5-9

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.