Editing Spencer, South Dakota (section)

===1998 tornado===
On May 30, 1998, the most destructive and second deadliest tornado in South Dakota history struck Spencer. It began as a large, dust-cloaked tornado northwest of [[Farmer, South Dakota|Farmer]] in [[Hanson County, South Dakota|Hanson County]], concurrent with the demise of the "Fulton" tornado. Continuing toward the east-southeast, it struck several farmsteads before crossing the Hanson/McCook County line a half mile west-northwest of Spencer. At this time, the tornado was being observed by the OU [[Doppler on Wheels]] crew, whose mobile [[Weather radar|Doppler weather radar]] data showed up to 264&nbsp;mph winds in the tornado a few tens of meters above ground level.<ref>[Non-existent reference, previously http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/spencer/ NOAA summary, from which the text is nearly a direct quote]</ref> The population of the town diminished soon after to less than half of what it was previous to the tornado, from 315 to 145 in April 1999, and has since hovered around that mark.