A Look at 20 Years of UFO Sightings in Sioux Falls

A Look at 20 Years of UFO Sightings in Sioux Falls

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I suppose anything you see in the sky that you cannot identify is technically an Unidentified Flying Object, UFO. But we wouldn't be humans if we didn't create a narrative to go along with something we saw but couldn't explain.

As someone who has been steeped in UFOlogy all my life, I like to believe that it is aliens, or something cool like that. My inner Fox Mulder hopes for exciting intergalactic visitors.

RELATED: South Dakota is One of the Least Bigfoot-Infested States

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Early UFO Sightings in South Dakota

South Dakota isn't exactly a hotbed of UFO sightings, but we have had our share over the years. Looking at data from the National UFO Reporting Center, South Dakota has had 430 reported UFO sightings dating back to 1897, when an object was seen descending from the sky and following a locomotive for a few minutes. This was near Howard, SD, which is just northwest of Sioux Falls.

The Roswell Connection Reaches South Dakota

South Dakota also had a pair of reported sightings on the same day the notorious Roswell, NM UFO crash took place on July 4, 1947. According to the book SDUFO: A Case History by Greg Nedved. On July 4, 1947, a "narrow light colored object was spotted in Sioux Falls." The next day, July 5, 1947, a "round silver dinner plates seen in Dell Rapids area."

Where UFO Sightings Happen Most Often in South Dakota

Typically, most UFO sightings in South Dakota occur in one of three areas. Near Sioux Falls, where much of South Dakota’s population lives, in the middle of nowhere, where the sky is big, and there's little light pollution, and near the air force base near Rapid City in the west.

What People Report Seeing in Sioux Falls

According to the National UFO Reporting Center, there have been 88 sightings reported in Sioux Falls between 1947 and 2025. Most of them were reports of lights in the sky, often moving in unexpected ways, or reports of objects in the sky.

I can't make any judgments about the sightings; they are, after all, unidentified objects flying in the sky. Are they aliens from space, here to study us? Are they interdimensional travels from an advanced Earth, you know, a sort of multi-verse thing? Or are they something else? With the number of planes, satellites, and drones that are in our skies today, they really could be boring explanations. But the Sci-Fi nerd in me kinda wants to believe that there's something out there.

Here are all the Sioux Falls reports from the last 20 years, as of the end of 2025, according to the National UFO Reporting Center:

07/14/2025 18:47Sioux FallsSDUSACircleNearly stationary at cloud height, but not moving with clouds; stationary telescope view possible.
05/10/2025 21:20Sioux FallsSDUSACigarCigar shaped vanished
12/10/2024 19:04Sioux FallsSDUSAFormationIt was in a m/w pattern all lights faced toward me, no blinking. No sound until it was to my right
03/07/2024 2:45Sioux FallsSDUSAChevronVery large chevron descending.
11/02/2023 22:25Sioux FallsSDUSAChevronLow flying silent craft with stealth coating.
07/28/2023 4:25Sioux fallsSDUSALightLight was there and gone.
04/24/2023 11:20Sioux FallsSDUSASphereWe saw multiple flying objects moving in a synchronized way back and forth, staying still, and moving at incredible speed out of sight.
04/24/2023 11:20Sioux FallsSDUSAOrbWe saw around 20 orbs or spheres and a large black disc
02/11/2023 22:30Sioux fallsSDUSACircleIt was super fast headed north, then suddenly turned around and headed back south.
12/30/2022 16:00Sioux FallsSDUSACircleBright light in sky during day time, then I see it.
02/25/2022 6:50Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherRound, like a cluster of tiny diamond, with slow changing, turning?, or moving pattern, intermittent vacuole(s)
02/13/2022 6:51Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherLarge tail with multicolored light at head, big and was visible for a duration
01/31/2022 18:50Sioux FallsSDUSAUnknownWe were walking and saw a weird non-blinking shape
11/21/2021 18:00Sioux FallsSDUSAChangingSilent black mass moved silently above residential home, appeared boomerang shaped but video suggests cigar/changing. Moved Southeast.
10/22/2021 15:25Sioux FallsSDUSAOthersuspending in one place for a longtime square no movement
08/28/2020 8:30Sioux FallsSDUSAChangingBright large shape turns red
11/23/2019 18:00Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherOn November 22nd about 6 p.m. I went outside looking west and noticed a large batwinged aircraft approaching from the north heading due
01/23/2019 1:00Sioux FallsSDUSADiskThere were 12 orange lights Moving west to east. ((anonymous report))
08/29/2018 18:30Sioux FallsSDUSATeardropTear drop shape was very brilliant white with red and blue tip.
08/29/2018 8:33Sioux FallsSDUSACircleCircle craft very high in the sky changing color. ((anonymous report))
07/12/2018 3:15Brandon/Sioux FallsSDUSADiskSaucer/disk seen by one middle schooler in Brandon, South Dakota.
03/04/2018 19:00Sioux FallsSDUSACircle4 lights in a pattern. 4 lights that expanded and come back to center. ((NUFORC Note: Advertising lights?? PD))
12/04/2017 21:40Sioux FallsSDUSAFormationSmall unorganized groups of orbs that had a goldish glow.
12/04/2017 17:00Sioux FallsSDUSAThere was a large snow storm the night of December 4th. Unfortunately, I doubt anyone was able to see much outside.
07/25/2017 4:47Sioux FallsSDUSAOrbRed Orb moves E along S of city.
07/18/2017 23:45Sioux FallsSDUSAFlashFlashing red light moving from W to E for 2 min. Thought it was a plane, but too high & no white. Vanished. Clear sky.
05/11/2017 14:00Sioux FallsSDUSAChangingIt was spinning around my house my friends where with me and they saw it to. Something shot out.
03/04/2017 21:48Sioux FallsSDUSASphereWhite sphere traveling at extremely hight rate of speed toward the ground before curving up into the sky and disappearing with a flash.
02/18/2017 21:00Sioux FallsSDUSASphereWe saw very bright round shape in the sky west and slightly north, too large and too bight to be a star. It did not move for at least 1
12/04/2016 19:32Sioux FallsSDUSALightI was stopped at the intersection of 26th and Sycamore in Sioux Falls, SD, at 19:32. A huge bright light (white) was falling from the
11/18/2016 23:00Sioux FallsSDUSAChevronBoomerang With floating/fluttery material.
11/11/2016 21:00Sioux FallsSDUSACircleCloaked spacecraft? Something hidden in a cloud?
11/05/2016 11:56Sioux FallsSDUSAOvalI was at my house waiting for lunch. I decided to go to the dining room to watch outside. I saw an object in the sky. I'm not sure what
10/02/2016 22:00Sioux FallsSDUSADiskOut of no where a blinking light in the shPe of the saucer appears 10 seconds later it was gone. ((anonymous report))
08/24/2016 20:00Sioux FallsSDUSAUnknownA green light hit me and a white cross appeared over my body.
11/24/2015 22:45Sioux FallsSDUSATrumpet-like sounds.
11/24/2015 6:00Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherStrange sounds coming from the sky.
09/13/2015 22:00Sioux FallsSDUSASteady Humming Sound
09/12/2015 22:50Sioux FallsSDUSALightRedish orangeish ball of light flying over my house making absolutely no noise.
08/25/2015 11:08Sioux Falls (at UT 33 and Southeastern)SDUSACylinderI was riding on Hwy 11 between 41st and 26th when I spotted something weird by the water tower on 28th and Judy. At first I thought it
08/11/2015 23:50Sioux FallsSDUSALight((e-addres deleted)) email if seen also. Small repeating light patterned craft move across sky.
07/27/2015 20:15Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherI have 4 excellent pictures would like someone to look at them.
06/28/2015 11:42Sioux FallsSDUSACylinderThe Ufo was white and a cylinder shape.
05/28/2015 21:00Sioux FallsSDUSACylinderNoiseless Elliptical Craft With 2 Sets Lights At Each End.
03/15/2015 21:02Sioux FallsSDUSADiskWe saw this disc shaped object flying over 57th and I29 last evening. Very large, quiet, no lights or propellers. About the size of a
03/14/2015 0:10Sioux FallsSDUSAChevronLooked like a silent flying boomerang shaped thing with perfectly spaced lights underneath it flying in straight direction.
08/30/2014 22:00Sioux FallsSDUSACircleTwo pulsating orange balls moving from the south.
08/12/2014 13:30Sioux FallsSDUSATeardropSingle very bright object seen moving through sky from North to South.
07/04/2014 21:00Sioux FallsSDUSAFireballFireball moving slowly.
04/20/2014 21:30Sioux FallsSDUSACircleOrange ball on fire.
01/12/2013 21:00Sioux FallsSDUSALightAn orange bright light pulsating over the east sky going south in Sioux Falls, SD, at 9:00 pm on January 12, 2013.
01/08/2013 0:00Sioux Falls (outskirts of)SDUSATriangleTriangular, 30- 40 seconds, multiple bright lights moving away slowly with no sound at all.
01/04/2013 19:00Sioux FallsSDUSADisk4 or 5 saucers flying in the same direction of a dark orange color.
11/06/2012 17:45Sioux FallsSDUSALightBright rapid moving light
05/12/2012 22:03Sioux FallsSDUSACircleI was sitting at my computer and happened to look out the window. I saw a bright, large, blue shaped ball going from east to west towa
05/12/2012 21:50Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherRed light object
01/07/2012 22:30Sioux FallsSDUSAFormationEight lights in southeast Sioux Falls
09/20/2011 6:33Sioux FallsSDUSALightBright light like space station but brighter and moving in strange ways unlike aircrafts
05/05/2011 23:05Sioux FallsSDUSAChevronThree brillant white lights going one direction and stopping and two red chevron shaped objects going near opposite course
11/15/2010 10:34Sioux FallsSDUSATrianglelight, triangle, airport
10/12/2010 6:07Sioux FallsSDUSALightHovering flashing lights moving up
09/13/2010 1:00Sioux FallsSDUSATriangleTriangle formation of lights moving quickly to the North, near Sioux Falls
08/06/2010 2:00Sioux FallsSDUSAFireballTwelve orange balls of light moving over Sioux Falls, SD, at 2:00 hrs. on 08/06/10
07/26/2009 15:00Sioux FallsSDUSAOrbOne, spherical light orb that is slow moving then rapidly accelerating up into clouds.
07/26/2008 4:23Sioux FallsSDUSADiskFlashing Red and White Disc off in the Eastern sky on the southwestern side of Sioux Falls
06/08/2008 21:30Sioux FallsSDUSAOtherGlowing Orangish/Yellowish aircraft witnessed South from Sioux Falls S.D.
03/24/2008 22:15Sioux FallsSDUSATriangleLarge triangular delta wing looking 10 to 15 lights not bright dull and dim it moved very fast.
02/19/2008 17:15Sioux FallsSDUSAOvalTwo oval objects appeared in the sky right where unmarked planes made an X con-trail!! ((NUFORC Note: Contrails?? PD))
10/29/2007 8:30Sioux FallsSDUSAOvalBlack, oval, reflective object seen gliding through the daytime sky.
10/25/2007 17:00Rapid City, Sioux FallsSDUSAUnknownObject moving horizontally across South Dakota sky
10/25/2007 8:00Sioux Falls, SDSDUSAUnknownUfo entered atmosphere and hovered over city. videotaped by Keloland tv, Rapid City Web cam. ((NUFORC Note: Contrail. PD))
04/04/2006 20:20Sioux FallsSDUSAUnknownUnk light hovering for a moment then sped away
02/04/2006 19:30Sioux FallsSDUSATriangleTriangle object without colored or blinking lights, shortly later a bright shere shaped object was scene.

LOOK: The states with the most UFO sightings

For each state, we’ve also included details of famous UFO sightings in that state. Of note is that almost three-quarters of all UFO sighting reports in the United States occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, and tend to peak between 9 and 10 p.m. Food for thought next time you're out scoping for alien life. Keep reading to see which states have had the most UFO sightings.

Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi

 

Filed Under: Sioux Falls
Categories: News, Entertainment, Newsletter

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