Flash Flooding and Hail in South Dakota, June 8, 2004

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in South Dakota, June 8, 2004
Start: 2004-06-08T17:00
End: 2004-06-08T22:00
Location: South Dakota

June 8, 2004 · NWS UNR · 9 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 0
Property damage: $900,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 northeastern parts of Todd County and central Tripp County, producing hail to the size of golf balls and heavy rains. Rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches were common across these areas, with Okreek and Witten receiving around 8 inches of rain during the evening. Water in creeks across the area rose to bank full with many roads washed out or under water during the overnight. Lightning also struck the Okreek Community Center, completely destroying the building.

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 8, 2:00 PM MST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 2:00 PM MST, 3 hours before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 8, 9:44 AM MST, 7 hours 16 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
1044 AM MDT TUE JUN 8 2004

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-091300-
BENNETT-BUTTE-CENTRAL BLACK HILLS-CUSTER CO PLAINS-FALL RIVER-HAAKON-
HARDING-HERMOSA FOOT HILLS-JACKSON-MELLETTE-NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN CAMPBELL-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-
NORTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-PENNINGTON CO PLAINS-PERKINS-RAPID CITY-
SHANNON-SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS-SOUTHERN CAMPBELL-SOUTHERN FOOT HILLS-
SOUTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS-TODD-TRIPP-
WESTERN CROOK-WESTON-WYOMING BLACK HILLS-ZIEBACH-
1044 AM MDT (1144 AM CDT) TUE JUN 8 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS AREAS FROM PINE RIDGE AND
PHILIP...EASTWARD TO WINNER...THIS AFTERNOON. A STORM OR TWO COULD
BECOME SEVERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING WITH HAIL
LARGER THAN 3/4 INCH BEING THE MAIN THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA ON WEDNESDAY. THE
MAIN THREAT FROM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL LARGER THAN
3/4 INCH AND WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 60 MPH. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT
RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHEAST WYOMING AND WESTERN
SOUTH DAKOTA ON THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY.

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Todd

When: June 8, 5:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where: Todd County, Okreek
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Tripp

When: June 8, 5:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Tripp County, Winner
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.346, -99.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Tripp

When: June 8, 6:00 PM MST to 6:10 PM MST
Where: Tripp County, Hamill
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.583, -99.683

Hail, Todd

When: June 8, 6:30 PM MST
Where: Todd County, 4 mi ESE of Okreek
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.350, -100.317

Hail, Tripp

When: June 8, 6:30 PM MST
Where: Tripp County, Winner
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 43.367, -99.867

Hail, Tripp

When: June 8, 6:30 PM MST
Where: Tripp County, 3 mi W of Ideal
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.533, -99.967

Hail, Tripp

When: June 8, 6:45 PM MST
Where: Tripp County, Winner
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.367, -99.867

Hail, Todd

When: June 8, 7:00 PM MST to 7:10 PM MST
Where: Todd County, 4 mi SW of Okreek
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.333, -100.433

Lightning, Todd

When: June 8, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Todd County, Okreek
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, June 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: 5406638, 5406639, 5406634, 5406632, 5406635, 5406636, 5406637, 5406633, 5406640.