Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 28, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 28, 1986
Start: 1986-07-28T15:25
End: 1986-07-28T19:52
Location: South Dakota

July 28, 1986 · NWS FSD · 14 events in 8 counties and zones

7 hail, 6 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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: $550,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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

7 hail, 6 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hughes

When: July 28, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.570, -100.330

Hail, Buffalo

When: July 28, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County
Measured: 4 in hail
Coordinates: 44.050, -99.380

Hail, Brookings

When: July 28, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Brookings County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 44.230, -96.480

Tornado, Brule

When: July 28, 4:13 PM CST
Where: Brule County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.780, -99.000

Tornado, Aurora

When: July 28, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Aurora County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.5 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.650, -98.720

Tornado, Douglas

When: July 28, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 70 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.270, -98.150

Tornado, Douglas

When: July 28, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.430, -98.380

Hail, Aurora

When: July 28, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Aurora County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.580, -98.430

Hail, Clay

When: July 28, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.780, -96.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When: July 28, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Coordinates: 43.450, -98.320

Hail, Union

When: July 28, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Union County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.600, -96.550

Tornado, Union

When: July 28, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Union County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Coordinates: 42.530, -96.480

Tornado, Clay

When: July 28, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Coordinates: 42.750, -96.800

Hail, Union

When: July 28, 7:52 PM CST
Where: Union County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.520, -96.480

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for South Dakota, 1986 Warnings in South Dakota, July 1986

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: 10123709, 10123710, 10123711, 10123712, 10123713, 10123714, 10123715, 10123716, 10123717, 10123718, 10123719, 10123720, 10123721, 10123722.