Hail in South Dakota, May 9, 2011

Name: Hail in South Dakota, May 9, 2011
Start: 2011-05-09T20:35
End: 2011-05-09T20:35
Location: South Dakota

May 9, 2011 · NWS UNR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm developed over eastern Custer County and produced quarter sized hail east of Fairburn.

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: 1

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 developed over eastern Custer County and produced quarter sized hail east of Fairburn.

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 9, 12:05 PM MST, 8 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 12:05 PM MST, 8 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
105 PM MDT MON MAY 9 2011

.DISCUSSION...WATER VAPOR SHOWS DEEP UPPER TROF OVER THE GREAT
BASIN WITH INCREASING S/SW FLOW INTO THE NRN PLAINS. JET MAX IS
ROUNDING THE TROF AND NOSING INTO CO AND FAR SRN WY. AT THE
SURFACE...LOW CENTER IS OVER WRN NEB WITH INVERTED TROF EXTENDING
NWD TO BETWEEN KRAP AND KPHP. N/NE BOUNDARY FLOW HELPING LOW STRATUS
TO HANG TOUGH ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWFA...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE
MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES FROM OVER THE BLKHLS THROUGH SERN WY.

LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...JET STREAK WILL NOSE INTO OUR
CWFA CREATING WIDESPREAD SYNOPTIC LIFT. SURFACE BASED CAPE WILL BE
HARD TO COME BY IN AREAS THAT ARE COVERED IN LOW STRATUS...BUT WITH
MUCAPE IN THE 1000J/KG (FAR WRN SD) TO 3000 J/KG (SCNTRL SD)
RANGE...ELEVATED STORMS WILL BE LIKELY. SHEAR IS NOT OVERLY
IMPRESSIVE...BUT SHOULD INCREASE AS JET STREAK PASSES OVERHEAD.
AREAS THAT HAVE NOT SEEN THE STRATUS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SEE SFC
BASED CONVECTION. MAIN THREAT IS LIKELY TO BE LARGE HAIL...BUT
SHOULD ANY STORMS BECOME SURFACE BASED NEAR THE INVERTED TROF OVER
SWRN/SCNTRL SD THERE IS SUFFICIENT LO LEVEL SHEAR FOR A TORNADIC
THREAT. SEVERE THREAT SHOULD WAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT AS BEST
CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS SHIFT TO OUR EAST.

TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL CUT OFF OVER SERN MT AND MOVE NEWD ACROSS
WRN ND...WITH DRY SLOT OVER CNTRL SD LIMITING PCPN POTENTIAL IN OUR
ERN ZONES. WELL DEFINED TROWAL WILL WRAP AROUND UPPER LOW WITH
HEAVIEST RAINS LIKELY WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE BLKHLS. THUS...WILL
KEEP FLOOD WATCH IN PLACE. WINDY CONDITIONS LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS
MUCH OF THE AREA WITH STRONG 850-700MB GRADIENT IN PLACE. PCPN WILL
DECREASE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AS UPPER LOW SHIFTS IN SCNTRL CANADA.

WEDNESDAY...SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CNTRL
PLAINS...WITH JUST ENOUGH ENERGY FOR A FEW -SHRA ACRS OUR
CWFA...ESPECIALLY SCNTRL SD. TEMPS WILL REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE WITH
BREEZY NW WINDS.

EXTENDED...LARGE UPPER TROF SHIFTS EAST ON THURSDAY WITH SOME
LINGERING SHOWERS POSSIBLE FROM THE BLACK HILLS EAST. BLOCKING
PATTERN SETS UP FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT
WEEK...BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS AND NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.

&&

.AVIATION...LOW STRATUS WILL PERSIST OVER MOST OF NORTHEASTERN WY
AND FAR WESTERN SD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT...BRINGING
AREAS OF IFR/MVFR CIGS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP
ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...WITH LCL IFR VIS
IN HEAVIER PRECIP. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFT AND EVE.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR BUTTE-HARDING-
     NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-PERKINS.

WY...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
     WESTERN CROOK-WYOMING BLACK HILLS.

&&

JOHNSON/RUDGE

Hazardous weather outlook, May 9, 3:20 AM MST, 17 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
420 AM MDT MON MAY 9 2011

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-101300-
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-
420 AM MDT (520 AM CDT) MON MAY 9 2011

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...RESULTING IN NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE
ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST WYOMING AND NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO FAR WESTERN NORTH
DAKOTA ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL BRING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN TO PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST WYOMING AND FAR NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA. A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 9, 7:53 PM MST, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
853 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0532 PM     HAIL             FOUR CORNERS            44.08N 104.13W
05/09/2011  E0.88 INCH       WESTON             WY   PUBLIC

0544 PM     HAIL             DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE      43.85N 104.20W
05/09/2011  E0.88 INCH       WESTON             WY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0545 PM     HAIL             DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE      43.85N 104.20W
05/09/2011  E1.50 INCH       WESTON             WY   PUBLIC

0615 PM     FLASH FLOOD      DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE      43.85N 104.20W
05/09/2011                   WESTON             WY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WATER WAS REPORTED FLOWING OVER THE HIGHWAY 16 BYPASS AND
            AT THE INTERSECTION OF SPOKANE AVE AND SPRINGFIELD AVE.

0637 PM     FLASH FLOOD      DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE      43.85N 104.20W
05/09/2011                   WESTON             WY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SEVERAL STREETS IN NEWCASTLE ARE FLOODING.

0735 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 S OPAL                44.85N 102.61W
05/09/2011  E60.00 MPH       MEADE              SD   PUBLIC

0735 PM     HAIL             3 S OPAL                44.85N 102.61W
05/09/2011  E1.25 INCH       MEADE              SD   PUBLIC

0849 PM     HAIL             1 S OGLALA              43.17N 102.73W
05/09/2011  E1.00 INCH       SHANNON            SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, May 9, 7:58 PM MST, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
858 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0758 PM     HAIL             QUINN                   43.99N 102.13W
05/09/2011  M1.75 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   STORM CHASER

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, May 9, 8:12 PM MST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
912 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0740 PM     HAIL             OPAL                    44.89N 102.61W
05/09/2011  E1.50 INCH       MEADE              SD   PUBLIC

&&

MSMITH

Local storm report, May 9, 8:16 PM MST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
916 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0915 PM     HAIL             6 NNW PINE RIDGE        43.11N 102.60W
05/09/2011  E1.00 INCH       SHANNON            SD   PUBLIC

&&

MSMITH

Local storm report, May 9, 8:24 PM MST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
924 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0810 PM     HAIL             3 NE QUINN              44.02N 102.09W
05/09/2011  E2.00 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   PUBLIC

            HAIL LASTED 25 MINUTES.

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, May 9, 8:35 PM MST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
935 PM MDT MON MAY 09 2011

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

0932 PM     FLASH FLOOD      DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE      43.85N 104.20W
05/09/2011                   WESTON             WY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WIDESPREAD STREET FLOODING ACROSS NEWCASTLE. DEBRIS
            EVERYWHERE. CULVERTS ARE BLOCKED. SEWERS ARE BACKED UP.
            FOUR HOUSES HAVE BASEMENTS FLOODED. CAR REPORTEDLY
            FLOATING DOWN ROAD. LIMITED TRAVEL ADVISED.

&&

CALDERON

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Custer

When: May 9, 8:35 PM MST
Where: Custer County, 18 mi E of Fairburn
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.680, -102.860

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 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, May 2011

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: 290889.