Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 13, 2009

Name: Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 13, 2009
Start: 2009-07-13T18:30
End: 2009-07-13T19:05
Location: South Dakota

July 13, 2009 · NWS UNR · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts around 65 mph over northern Lawrence and southern Butte Counties.

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: $150,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 produced wind gusts around 65 mph over northern Lawrence and southern Butte Counties.

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 13, 2:00 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 2:00 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
300 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

.DISCUSSION...SHORT WAVE CROSSING WRN SD THIS AFTERNOON TRIGGERING
THUNDERSTORMS. SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHEASTERN MT WITH WARM FRONT
ACROSS NRN SD AND BOUNDARY/DRY LINE DRAPED ALONG WRN-SRN EDGE OF
BLACK HILLS WITH DEWPTS IN THE 50S BEHIND IT AND 60S AHEAD OF IT.
ANOTHER WAVE ROTATING THROUGH UPPER TROF INTO SRN MT WILL SWING
ACROSS NWRN SD OVERNIGHT AS TROF PROGRESSES EWD ACROSS MT. HEAVY
RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY OVER NWRN SD. COLD FRONT
WILL SWEEP ACROSS WRN SD TUES MORNING..WITH GUSTY NW WINDS AND DRIER
AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA BEHIND IT...THOUGH NWRN SD MAY STILL SEE
SOME SHOWERS AS TROF MOVES ACROS ND...AND FORECAST AREA REMAINS
UNDER CYCLONIC NW FLOW FOR THE SHORT TERM. TEMPERATURES WILL BE
COOLER TUESDAY INTO WED MORNING AS SURFACE HIGH BUILDS ACROSS WRN
SD. THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP WED AFTERNOON AS INSTABILITY INCREASES
ACROSS NERN WY AND FAR WRN SD...WITH STRONGER INSTABILITY OVER THE
BLACK HILLS. TEMPS WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES WED...BUT WILL STILL BE
BELOW NORMAL. AS SURFACE HIGH PUSHES SEWD...LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS
OVER FAR SRN SD WED NIGHT...WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

EXTENDED...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD INTO THE WESTERN CONUS LATER
THIS WEEK BRINING WARMER TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION. NORTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT WITH EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES WILL BRING SLIGHT CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...SCATTERED STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT AS A COLD
FRONT CROSSES THE REGION. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE
WITH LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED
NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...NONE.
WY...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 13, 9:45 AM MST, 8 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
1045 AM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-141300-
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-
1045 AM MDT (1145 AM CDT) MON JUL 13 2009

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 WITH VERY LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS OVER ALL OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND WESTERN
SOUTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE FROM NORTHWESTERN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...
OR NORTH AND EAST OF THE BLACK HILLS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ALSO IS
POSSIBLE WITH SOME STORMS.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEASTERN WYOMING...AND
WILL SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THIS EVENING...AND REACHING CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA BY MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED...
A FEW SEVERE STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE BLACK
HILLS THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TODAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 13, 5:23 PM MST, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
623 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0610 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S LAKEVIEW            43.10N 100.75W
07/13/2009                   TODD               SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

            8-10 INCH TREE TOPS BLOWN DOWN BY WINDS ESTIMATED OVER 50
            MPH.

&&

WFO UNR

Local storm report, Jul 13, 5:38 PM MST, 52 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jul 13, 5:57 PM MST, 33 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:12 PM MST, 18 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:14 PM MST, 16 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:26 PM MST, 4 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: July 13, 6:30 PM MST to 6:35 PM MST
Where: Lawrence County, 3 mi N of St Onge
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.593, -103.720

Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 13, 6:44 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 0.85 mi NE of Nisland
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.680, -103.560

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 13, 6:45 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 0.62 mi WSW of Newell
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.718, -103.442

Strong wind gusts uprooted large trees and power poles in Newell. Some buildings and homes in town sustained damage in and around Newell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 13, 7:05 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 4.12 mi E of Vale
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.617, -103.336

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, July 2009

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: 177634, 177630, 177633, 177636.