South Dakota, 2004

Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, May 8, 2004

May 8, 2004 · NWS UNR · 12 events in 4 counties and zones

A line of severe thunderstorms developed across Crook County, Wyoming and moved eastward across Butte, Meade, northeast Pennington and Haakon counties, producing wind gusts to 70 mph and penny sized hail. Roofs were damaged and power lines were downed at Union Center as the storms passed through.

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
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 line of severe thunderstorms developed across Crook County, Wyoming and moved eastward across Butte, Meade, northeast Pennington and Haakon counties, producing wind gusts to 70 mph and penny sized hail. Roofs were damaged and power lines were downed at Union Center as the storms passed through.

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 May 8, 12:10 PM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 12:10 PM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 5:30 AM MST, 9 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
630 AM MDT SAT MAY 8 2004

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-091330-
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-
630 AM MDT (730 AM CDT) SAT MAY 8 2004

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 SOUTH CENTRAL
SOUTH DAKOTA AND MOST OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...EXCEPT OVER THE FAR
SOUTHWEST CORNER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEASTERN
WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY
NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY.

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When
May 8, 2:50 PM MST
Where
Butte County, Hoover
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.117, -103.267

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When
May 8, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Butte County, 6 mi NW of Newell
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
44.783, -103.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
May 8, 3:21 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 1 mi N of Sturgis
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
44.433, -103.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
May 8, 4:05 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 8 mi SE of Union Center
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.483, -102.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
May 8, 4:10 PM MST to 4:15 PM MST
Where
Meade County, Union Center
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
44.567, -102.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
May 8, 4:29 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 4 mi SW of Enning
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.550, -102.600

Hail, Meade

When
May 8, 4:35 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 4 mi SW of Enning
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.550, -102.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
May 8, 5:15 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 3 mi NE of Creighton
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.283, -102.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
May 8, 5:45 PM MST
Where
Haakon County, 3 mi NW of Grindstone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
44.167, -102.017

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
May 8, 6:10 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 6 mi SE of Creighton
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.183, -102.117

Hail, Pennington

When
May 8, 6:10 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 6 mi SE of Creighton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.183, -102.117

Hail, Haakon

When
May 8, 6:35 PM MST
Where
Haakon County, 11 mi E of Philip
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
44.033, -101.450

What these are

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.
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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, May 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5398457, 5398458, 5398459, 5398460, 5398461, 5398462, 5398463, 5398464, 5398467, 5398465, 5398466, 5398468.