Hail in South Dakota, May 31, 2009

Name: Hail in South Dakota, May 31, 2009
Start: 2009-05-31T10:50
End: 2009-05-31T13:27
Location: South Dakota

May 31, 2009 · NWS UNR · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm produced hail to quarter size across southeastern Custer, northeastern Fall River, and southwestern Shannon 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: 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 produced hail to quarter size across southeastern Custer, northeastern Fall River, and southwestern Shannon 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 May 31, 1:24 AM MST, 9 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 1:24 AM MST, 9 hours 26 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 1:57 AM MST, 8 hours 53 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 31, 10:27 AM MST, 23 minutes before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Fall River

When: May 31, 10:50 AM MST to 11:10 AM MST
Where: Fall River County, 4.74 mi NNW of Oral
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.465, -103.300

Hail, Fall River

When: May 31, 12:20 PM MST
Where: Fall River County, 2.22 mi NNW of Hot Springs Municipal Airport
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 43.400, -103.397

Hail, Oglala Lakota

When: May 31, 1:22 PM MST to 1:27 PM MST
Where: Oglala Lakota County, 0.34 mi SE of Slim Butte
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 43.076, -102.826

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 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, May 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 163661, 163662, 163663.