Record Wind Gust Splits Church, Shines Light on Crucifix in South Dakota

The roof at St. Mary's Church in Highmore, South Dakota split open, allowing sun to shine on the crucifix there. Image: Joseph Mat / X — The roof at St. Mary’s Church in Highmore, South Dakota split open, allowing sun to shine on the crucifix there. Image: Joseph Mat / X

The National Weather Service office in Aberdeen in north-central South Dakota reported a record wind event that uprooted trees, folded grain silos, downed wind turbines, and brought about a significant amount of damage to the town of Highmore in Hyde County. The powerful winds also split open the roof of a church resulting in sunlight perfectly beaming down onto a crucifix on display there.

The National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 131 mph and confirmed the winds did not come from a tornado; as such, this is the highest recorded thunderstorm wind gust recorded since 1983. At 131 mph, this is the 15th strongest thunderstorm wind gust ever recorded in the U.S. and the second-highest gust in South Dakota. In 2010, winds of 142 mph were clocked in Dewey County in the town of Lantry.

St. Mary's Church before Monday's wind storm damaged its roof. Image: St Mary Church, Highmore — St. Mary’s Church before Monday’s wind storm damaged its roof. Image: St Mary Church, Highmore

Beyond the 131 mph measured at Highmore, 131 mph was also reported at Holabird. Before the 131 mph gust, Highmore had reported a 114 mph gust just 5 minutes before the record gust.

Other high winds measured on Monday in South Dakota include 112 mph at the Joe Creek Recreational Area, 112 mph at Ree Heights, 88 mph at Westport, and 84 mph at Miranda.

At St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Highmore, the extreme winds removed the ridge cap off of the roof, exposing a gap where the two roof pitches meet. With sunlight coming down from the middle of the roof, it served as the perfect spotlight on a crucifix on display on the altar inside. A crucifix is a cross that bears an image of the body of Jesus Christ; in most Catholic church architecture, it serves as a central visual reminder of Christ’s suffering, sacrifice, and the believed redemption of mankind.

In addition to the church, the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office said the storm caused significant damage and knocked out power to parts of Highmore. South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden visited the town after the storms passed, joining other officials that are surveying damage in preparation to apply for federal assistance. The Governor’s Office said there were minor injuries reported as a result of the storm but no fatalities.