Live Television Coverage of Two 2022 Derechos in Eastern South Dakota

Climatologically, Eastern South Dakota experiences moderate and high intensity (MH) derechos approximately once every one to three years (Coniglio and Stensrud 2004). But in 2022, there were two such events in the region in 54 days: May 12 and July 5. While television stations routinely preempt local television programming for tornado warnings - a common interpretation of the Federal Communication Commission mandate for broadcast stations to operate in the "public interest" - programming interruptions are much less frequent for live coverage of derechos, perhaps due to the less-compelling classification of derechos as severe thunderstorms. Yet because of the size and temporal longevity of derechos, it is possible that they pose a more widespread threat to persons and property than localized tornadoes.

During the eastern South Dakota derechos, one television station in the Sioux Falls/Mitchell SD television market aired several hours of continuous live coverage. While there are significant differences in the meteorological and broadcast approach of covering derechos versus tornadoes, a post-event analysis of television ratings during the two events revealed a substantially high level of viewership, presumably leading to an increased awareness of the hazards posed by the derechos to the public in real-time.