the storm were founded as an expansion team in the original indoor football league in 1999 as the sioux falls cobras. in their inaugural 2000 season, they won their first game defeating the sioux city attack 44–30. they went 8–6 on the season and finished fourth in the southern division. after one season, the became members of the national indoor football league (nifl) and changed their name to the storm. the storm hosted the 2004 nifl championship game against the lexington horsemen in the storm shelter in front of a sellout crowd. the horsemen won the championship game, but the storm defeated the horsemen a year later in the second round of the 2005 uif playoffs in lexington.