South Dakota, 1977

Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, May 18, 1977

May 18, 1977 · NWS ATA · 12 events in 7 counties and zones

5 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

5 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Haakon

When
May 18, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Haakon County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.030, -101.670

Hail, Bennett

When
May 18, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Bennett County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.170, -101.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Bennett

When
May 18, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Bennett County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
43.170, -101.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
May 18, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Haakon County
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Coordinates
44.030, -101.670

Hail, Haakon

When
May 18, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Haakon County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.050, -101.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
May 18, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Haakon County
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Coordinates
44.050, -101.600

Hail, Fall River

When
May 18, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Fall River County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.430, -103.480

Hail, Pennington

When
May 18, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Pennington County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.020, -103.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
May 18, 6:06 PM CST
Where
Lyman County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
43.900, -100.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
May 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lyman County
Measured
71 kt (82 mph)
Coordinates
43.900, -100.050

Tornado, Dewey

When
May 18, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Dewey County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
45.370, -101.430

Tornado, Corson

When
May 18, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Corson County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
45.820, -100.700

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1977Every state in 1977This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1977

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10110248, 10110249, 10110250, 10110251, 10110252, 10110253, 10110254, 10110255, 10110256, 10110257, 10110471, 10110472.