High Winds, Possible Tornado Derailed 43 Freight Train Cars In North Dakota

A severe storm system, possibly including a tornado, caused 43 empty coal train cars to derail near Steele, North Dakota, on Wednesday (August 28) night. The train had been stopped due to a tornado warning when the high winds struck. No injuries were reported, and no hazardous materials were involved , according to BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan . Cleanup crews were on site on Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota, confirmed that a tornado touched down near Steele around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Another tornado was reported to have touched down at 5:40 p.m. southwest of Selfridge, North Dakota, in the Standing Rock Tribal Nation. The storm system reportedly spurred five tornadoes across the Dakotas.

Three potential tornadoes were also reported in north-central South Dakota on Wednesday night. No injuries were reported there either. Survey crews were still working to confirm whether the damage in South Dakota was caused by tornadoes.

While the severe weather was generally moving out of the Dakotas, the National Weather Service warned of possible severe thunderstorms on Thursday in Minnesota and parts of Iowa and Wisconsin.