South Dakota, 1994

Tornado and Hail in South Dakota, June 4, 1994

June 4, 1994 · 17 events in 11 counties and zones

12 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
1
Property damage
$605,000
Crop damage
$5.0 million
Events
17

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 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dewey

When
June 4, 4:15 PM MDT
Where
Dewey County, Promise
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Dewey

When
June 4, 4:25 PM MDT
Where
Dewey County, Promise
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Walworth

When
June 4, 5:40 PM CDT
Where
Walworth County, Akaska
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Custer

When
June 4, 5:24 PM MDT
Where
Custer County, Pringle
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hyde

When
June 4, 7:05 PM CDT
Where
Hyde County, Highmore
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Faulk

When
June 4, 7:10 PM CDT
Where
Faulk County, Orient
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hyde

When
June 4, 7:20 PM CDT
Where
Hyde County, Seneca
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Fall River

When
June 4, 6:23 PM MDT
Where
Fall River County, Oral
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.239, -103.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hand

When
June 4, 7:44 PM CDT to 8:45 PM CDT
Where
Hand County, Ree Heights/Orient/
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

About 70 thousand acres of cropland were flattened, 13 calves and about 50 pigs were killed. Trees were downed and a barn roof was blown off. Damage was estimated to be $1.25 million.

Hail, Faulk

When
June 4, 7:55 PM CDT
Where
Faulk County, Cresbard
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail covered the ground.

Tornado, Hand

When
June 4, 7:58 PM CDT to 9:00 PM CDT
Where
Hand County, Ree Heights
Rating
F0
Path length
10 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The tornado touched down intermittently beginning about four miles north of Ree Heights and was last reported about one mile south of Miller. The tornado caused minor damage as it passed over open country.

Hail, Beadle

When
June 4, 9:52 PM CDT
Where
Beadle County, Wessington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A barn was destroyed and a hog feeder was damaged.

Hail, Todd

When
June 4, 8:55 PM MDT
Where
Todd County, Mission
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Beadle

When
June 4, 9:55 PM CDT
Where
Beadle County, Huron
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A barn was destroyed and a hog feeder was damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Todd

When
June 4, 9:20 PM MDT
Where
Todd County, Mission
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
June 4, 10:50 PM CDT
Where
Lyman County, Presho/Vivien
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds destroyed a tin shed and overturned a camper causing a neck injury to one of the occupants. Numerous tree branches were broken.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When
June 4, 10:55 PM CDT
Where
Lake County, Lake Madison
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A large tree was blown over and demolished half of a mobile home.

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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1994Every state in 1994This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 1994Warnings in South Dakota, June 1994

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: 10346374, 10346375, 10349128, 10346329, 10346035, 10346479, 10346036, 10346477, 10346539, 10346480, 10346540, 10346563, 10346161, 10346564, 10346162, 10346335, 10346242.