Hail, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:30 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 4 mi N of Rapid City
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 44.133, -103.217
Flash Flood and Hail in South Dakota, July 3, 2004
A supercell thunderstorm developed between Johnson Siding and Rapid City, then moved east-southeast through Rapid City, southeast Pennington County, far eastern Custer County, and Jackson County. The storm produced large amounts of penny to quarter sized hail, along with strong winds and heavy rain.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.
A supercell thunderstorm developed between Johnson Siding and Rapid City, then moved east-southeast through Rapid City, southeast Pennington County, far eastern Custer County, and Jackson County. The storm produced large amounts of penny to quarter sized hail, along with strong winds and heavy rain. 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in Rapid City in less than an hour, which caused minor street flooding. Rapid Creek went out of its banks near Creek Drive in Rapid City. No injuries or damage were reported.
The radar
The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:29 UTC.
Event by event
7 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:30 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 4 mi N of Rapid City
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 44.133, -103.217
Hail, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:30 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, Rapid City
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.083, -103.217
Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:30 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, Rapid City
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.083, -103.217
Flash Flood, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:30 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 3 mi E of Rapid City
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 12:46 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 5 mi E of Rapid City
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 44.083, -103.117
Hail, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 1:00 PM MST to 1:10 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 1 mi W of Caputa
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.000, -103.000
Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 1:00 PM MST to 1:10 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 1 mi W of Caputa
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.000, -103.000
Hail, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 1:55 PM MST to 2:05 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, Scenic
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.783, -102.550
Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 1:55 PM MST to 2:05 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, Scenic
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.783, -102.550
Hail, Custer
- When
- July 3, 2:00 PM MST to 2:15 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, 19 mi SE of Hermosa
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.633, -102.917
Thunderstorm Wind, Custer
- When
- July 3, 2:00 PM MST to 2:15 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, 19 mi SE of Hermosa
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.633, -102.917
Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington
- When
- July 3, 2:10 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 5 mi SE of Scenic
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.733, -102.483
Hail, Jackson
- When
- July 3, 3:10 PM MST to 3:20 PM MST
- Where
- Jackson County, 8 mi W of Wanblee
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.567, -101.833
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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strikes in Florida, July 3, 2004
- Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, July 3, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, July 3, 2004
- Tornado in Ohio, July 3, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, July 3, 2004
- Lightning Strike in South Carolina, July 3, 2004
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 3, 2004
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 3, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Texas, July 3, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Texas, July 3, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, July 3, 2004
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, July 3, 2004
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, July 2004
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5412339, 5412340, 5412341, 5412342, 5412352, 5412343, 5412344, 5412345, 5412346, 5412347, 5412349, 5412350, 5412348, 5412351.