Hail in South Dakota, July 5, 2003

Name: Hail in South Dakota, July 5, 2003
Start: 2003-07-05T11:25
End: 2003-07-05T12:05
Location: South Dakota

July 5, 2003 · NWS UNR · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm developed near Nemo and moved slowly southward. Hail to the size of tennis balls was reported near Silver City.

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: 3

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.

A severe thunderstorm developed near Nemo and moved slowly southward. Hail to the size of tennis balls was reported near Silver City.

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 Jul 5, 9:20 AM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 9:20 AM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 5, 4:30 AM MST, 6 hours 55 minutes before

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-061300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
530 AM MDT SAT JUL 5 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY EAST OF A
LINE FROM FAITH TO SPEARFISH TO PINE RIDGE. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL LARGER THAN 3/4 INCH AND WIND GUSTS
GREATER THAN 60 MPH.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  AS TEMPERATURES RAPIDLY WARM TODAY...
THIS DISTURBANCE WILL TRIGGER SOME THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.  THESE STORMS WILL THEN TRACK INTO
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH
THE EVENING HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A COOL FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION ON SUNDAY. AS THE COOL
FRONT APPROACHES CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA SUNDAY AFTERNOON...SOME
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THIS AREA AND HAVE THE CHANCE OF
BECOMING SEVERE.

MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AND
TUESDAY ACROSS THE REGION. THEN...AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD
INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND BRING DRIER WEATHER TO THE AREA FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ASSISTANCE MAY BE NEEDED TODAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 5, 6:42 AM MST, 4 hours 43 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 5, 8:38 AM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lawrence

When: July 5, 11:25 AM MST
Where: Lawrence County, 2 mi NW of Nemo
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 44.217, -103.533

Hail, Lawrence

When: July 5, 11:40 AM MST
Where: Lawrence County, 4 mi NW of Nemo
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 44.233, -103.550

Hail, Pennington

When: July 5, 12:00 PM MST to 12:05 PM MST
Where: Pennington County, 2 mi NE of Silver City
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.100, -103.533

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, July 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5373317, 5373318, 5373319.