Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, August 12, 2010

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, August 12, 2010
Start: 2010-08-12T18:11
End: 2010-08-12T20:50
Location: South Dakota

August 12, 2010 · NWS UNR · 12 events in 4 counties and zones

S. Highway 212 in northern Meade County, and northeastward over northern Ziebach County.

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: $22,000
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 severe thunderstorm produced large hail and wind gusts to 70 mph across Butte County, along U.S. Highway 212 in northern Meade County, and northeastward over northern Ziebach County.

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 Aug 12, 1:00 PM MST, 5 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 1:00 PM MST, 5 hours 11 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
200 PM MDT THU AUG 12 2010

.DISCUSSION...CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES LOW CENTERED OF KPIR
WHILE FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHES OFF TO THE SOUTHWEST. UPPER LEVEL
ANALYSIS PLACES TROF AXIS STRETCHING FROM CENTRAL MONTANA TO NEAR
THE IDAHO/WYOMING BORDER...WHILE BROAD RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE
MIDWEST KEEPING SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER OUR AREA. POTENT SHORT WAVE NOW
PUSHING WELL INTO WESTERN WYOMING.

FOR THIS AFTERNOON/TONIGHT...SCATTERED STORMS WILL DEVELOP AS
AFOREMENTIONED WAVE CONTINUES ITS APPROACH TO THE AREA. AREA WHERE
THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE A FEW SEVERE STORMS WOULD BE OVER
NORTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE THE STRONGEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL
BE...THOUGH INSTABILITY IS NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE...SO MOST STORMS
SHOULD REMAIN TAME.

FOR FRIDAY...SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED BEFORE A
SECONDARY COLD FRONT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA. THIS...COMBINED
WITH UNSETTLED SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT...WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

ON SATURDAY...NOTABLY COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AS COOLER AIR
CONTINUES TO PUSH INTO THE AREA. SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT.

EXTENDED...EXTENDED MODELS SIMILAR IN DEVELOPING LARGE UPPER LOW
OVER EASTERN HALF OF CANADA FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. WITH HIGH PRESSURE
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS...SHOULD BE DRY SUNDAY/MONDAY. WEAK
THETA-E ADVECTION ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT...SO WILL LEAVE SMALL
POPS IN FORECAST. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE INTO MID-WEEK AND A
GRADUAL WARMING TREND. WITH LACK OF FORCING...WILL KEEP FORECAST
DRY.

&&

.AVIATION...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING WITH LCL MVFR CIGS/IFR VSBY. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS
EXPECTED.

&&

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 12, 1:00 PM MST, 5 hours 11 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
200 PM MDT THU AUG 12 2010

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-131300-
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-
200 PM MDT (300 PM CDT) THU AUG 12 2010

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON
INTO TONIGHT. A FEW STORMS MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE
WITH LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER NORTHWEST SOUTH
DAKOTA...BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS
AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN CROSSES THE REGION. WIDESPREAD SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 12, 5:43 PM MST, 28 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 12, 5:44 PM MST, 27 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 12, 5:53 PM MST, 18 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 12, 5:56 PM MST, 15 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 12, 5:57 PM MST, 14 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 12, 6:07 PM MST, 4 minutes before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:11 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: August 12, 6:11 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 23.29 mi WNW of Castle Rock
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 45.130, -103.850

Hail, Butte

When: August 12, 6:15 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 16.84 mi N of Belle Fourche Airport
Measured: 2 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.920, -103.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: August 12, 6:15 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 16.84 mi N of Belle Fourche Airport
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.920, -103.930

The combination of hail and wind damaged a home and automobiles.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: August 12, 6:20 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Belle Fourche
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.670, -103.870

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: August 12, 6:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 7 mi NW of Nisland
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.742, -103.671

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: August 12, 7:05 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Hoover
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.120, -103.270

The combination of hail and wind broke automobile and house windows.

Hail, Butte

When: August 12, 7:05 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Hoover
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.120, -103.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: August 12, 7:25 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 8 mi SE of Mud Butte
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.918, -102.764

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: August 12, 7:57 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 13 mi W of Faith
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.030, -102.296

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Perkins

When: August 12, 8:00 PM MST
Where: Perkins County, 16.36 mi SW of Usta
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.043, -102.393

Large tree branches were broken by the strong wind gusts.

Hail, Meade

When: August 12, 8:18 PM MST
Where: Meade County, Faith
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.030, -102.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When: August 12, 8:50 PM MST
Where: Ziebach County, 7 mi SE of Glad Valley
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.328, -101.648

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, August 2010

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: 248426, 248429, 259405, 248427, 248428, 248430, 259406, 248431, 248432, 248433, 248435, 248436.