Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 20, 1982

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 20, 1982
Start: 1982-07-20T17:00
End: 1982-07-20T23:45
Location: South Dakota

July 20, 1982 · 22 events in 15 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado, 3 hail, 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: 2
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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

12 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Stanley

When: July 20, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Stanley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 44.350, -100.480

Tornado, Clark

When: July 20, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.880, -97.630

Hail, Clark

When: July 20, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 44.880, -97.630

Hail, Hughes

When: July 20, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 44.370, -100.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 20, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Meade County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 44.700, -102.870

Tornado, Lyman

When: July 20, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Lyman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 43.900, -100.130

Tornado, Lyman

When: July 20, 7:51 PM CST
Where: Lyman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 43.900, -100.130

Tornado, Lyman

When: July 20, 7:52 PM CST
Where: Lyman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 43.900, -100.130

Tornado, Lyman

When: July 20, 7:53 PM CST
Where: Lyman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 43.900, -100.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Beadle

When: July 20, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Beadle County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 44.380, -98.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Brule

When: July 20, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Brule County
Coordinates: 43.800, -99.330

Tornado, Brule

When: July 20, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Brule County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 43.670, -98.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Davison

When: July 20, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Davison County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 43.720, -98.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Hand

When: July 20, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Hand County
Coordinates: 44.530, -99.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When: July 20, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 43.320, -98.350

Hail, Clark

When: July 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.630, -97.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Minnehaha

When: July 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 43.580, -96.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Tripp

When: July 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Tripp County
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Coordinates: 43.530, -100.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When: July 20, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Coordinates: 43.900, -96.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Minnehaha

When: July 20, 10:47 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha County
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 43.580, -96.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: July 20, 11:18 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Coordinates: 43.080, -96.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 20, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 42.780, -96.920

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 1982 Every state in 1982 This day in weather history The tornado archive for South Dakota, 1982

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: 10126844, 10126845, 10126846, 10126847, 10126848, 10126849, 10126850, 10126851, 10126852, 10126853, 10126854, 10126855, 10126856, 10126857, 10126858, 10126859, 10126860, 10126861, 10126862, 10126863, 10126864, 10126865.