South Dakota, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, June 18, 2002

June 18, 2002 · NWS UNR · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms moved across northwestern South Dakota during the late evening hours. These storms produced large hail and wind gusts to 60 mph.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms moved across northwestern South Dakota during the late evening hours. These storms produced large hail and wind gusts to 60 mph.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 18, 6:45 PM MST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 6:45 PM MST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY
745 PM MDT TUE JUN 18 2002

HAVE UPDATED ZONES TO INCLUDE SVR THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NRN
PORTIONS OF WRN SD THROUGH MIDNIGHT...NO OTHER CHGS.

.UNR...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT FOR NORTHERN
       PORTIONS OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Butte

When
June 18, 8:25 PM MST
Where
Butte County, 4 mi NW of Castle Rock
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.000, -103.483

Hail, Butte

When
June 18, 8:47 PM MST
Where
Butte County, 9 mi NE of Castle Rock
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.067, -103.300

Hail, Meade

When
June 18, 9:01 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 3 mi SE of Mud Butte
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.967, -102.833

Hail, Harding

When
June 18, 11:40 PM MST
Where
Harding County, 3 mi SE of Harding
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.367, -103.783

Thunderstorm Wind, Harding

When
June 18, 11:40 PM MST
Where
Harding County, 3 mi SE of Harding
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.367, -103.783

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, June 2002

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: 5297453, 5297454, 5297455, 5297456, 5297457.