Hail in South Dakota, July 19, 2013

Name: Hail in South Dakota, July 19, 2013
Start: 2013-07-19T20:55
End: 2013-07-19T21:20
Location: South Dakota

July 19, 2013 · NWS UNR · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms moved eastward across Butte County, producing hail to the size of half dollars northwest of Belle Fourche.

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: 2

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.

Severe thunderstorms moved eastward across Butte County, producing hail to the size of half dollars northwest of Belle Fourche.

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 19, 6:54 PM MST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 6:54 PM MST, 2 hours 1 minute before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 19, 1:05 PM MST, 7 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
205 PM MDT FRI JUL 19 2013

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-201300-
HARDING-PERKINS-BUTTE-NORTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-ZIEBACH-
NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-RAPID CITY-
SOUTHERN FOOT HILLS-CENTRAL BLACK HILLS-SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS-
CUSTER CO PLAINS-PENNINGTON CO PLAINS-HAAKON-FALL RIVER-SHANNON-
JACKSON-BENNETT-MELLETTE-TODD-TRIPP-STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS-
SOUTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-HERMOSA FOOT HILLS-NORTHERN CAMPBELL-
SOUTHERN CAMPBELL-WESTERN CROOK-WYOMING BLACK HILLS-WESTON-
NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
205 PM MDT FRI JUL 19 2013 /305 PM CDT FRI JUL 19 2013/

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TONIGHT ACROSS NORTHEAST
WYOMING AND MOVE EAST ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA OVERNIGHT. A FEW
STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...THE BEST CHANCE FOR A FEW
SEVERE STORMS IS SATURDAY FROM THE SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

&&

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...
OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RAPIDCITY

JC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 19, 7:12 PM MST, 1 hour 43 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
812 PM MDT FRI JUL 19 2013

WYZ056>058-200315-
WESTERN CROOK WY-WESTON WY-WYOMING BLACK HILLS WY-
812 PM MDT FRI JUL 19 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN CROOK AND NORTHEASTERN
WESTON COUNTIES UNTIL 915 PM MDT...

AT 811 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR UPTON...OR 22 MILES SOUTH OF SUNDANCE...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  OSAGE...UPTON...

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 4405 10406 4370 10444 4409 10479 4425 10455
TIME...MOT...LOC 0213Z 314DEG 19KT 4410 10453

HELGESON

Local storm report, Jul 19, 7:25 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 19, 7:28 PM MST, 1 hour 27 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 19, 7:31 PM MST, 1 hour 24 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 19, 7:59 PM MST, 56 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 19, 8:44 PM MST, 11 minutes before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Butte

When: July 19, 8:55 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 9.55 mi NW of Belle Fourche Airport
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.813, -104.016

Hail, Butte

When: July 19, 9:20 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 9 mi NW of Castle Rock
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.062, -103.560

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 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, July 2013

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: 463954, 463955.