Hail in South Dakota, July 20, 2013

Name: Hail in South Dakota, July 20, 2013
Start: 2013-07-20T15:10
End: 2013-07-20T15:10
Location: South Dakota

July 20, 2013 · NWS UNR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A thunderstorm briefly became severe across the southern Black Hills and produced quarter size hail northeast of Custer.

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 thunderstorm briefly became severe across the southern Black Hills and produced quarter size hail northeast of Custer.

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 20, 12:52 PM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 12:52 PM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
152 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

.SHORT TERM...THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT
ISSUED AT 152 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

FLATTENED CONUS RIDGE WILL SUPPORT WNW FLOW THROUGH
THE PERIOD WITH SUBTLE WEAK IMPULSES. LL MOISTURE PLUME WILL WAVER
ACROSS THE REGION WITH EACH IMPULSE...SUPPORTING PERIODIC CHANCES
FOR THUNDERSTORMS COUPLED WITH DIURNAL HEATING. THE NEXT IN A SERIES
OF IMPULSES WILL ADVECT THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
AND WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF THE FA...MAINLY SD. BEST
COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
GIVEN IMPULSE TIMING AND DIURNAL EFFECTS. ANOTHER WAVE WILL TRAVERSE
THE REGION SUNDAY...ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF LSA AND HEIGHT/FLOW EFFECTS
WILL REMAIN ACROSS ND. HOWEVER...LINGERING LL MOISTURE WILL BE MORE
THAN SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT CONVECTION...ESP OVER THE BH.

LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...A LL INVERTED TROUGH WILL
SLOWLY PROGRESS EAST THROUGH THE EVENING...BEING SUPPORT A BY A
PASSING IMPULSE. SCT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FOUND ALONG AND EAST OF
THE TROUGH...AND ESP THE BH AND ADJACENT PLAINS. STRONG DEEP LAYER
SHEAR OF 45 TO 55 KNOTS COUPLED WITH FORECAST ML CAPE OF 1500-2000
J/KG WILL LIKELY SUPPORT A FEW SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THROUGH EVENING...TRENDING SOUTH WITH
TIME. PW VALUES WILL ALSO REMAIN QUITE HIGH FOR THE AREA AROUND 1.5
INCHES...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH SOME STORMS.
HAVE ADJUSTED POPS AND WX FOR THIS.

SUNDAY...REFLECTED SOUTHERLY FLOW OFF THE SFC PER THE NEXT ADVANCING
IMPULSE MAY SUPPORT A MORNING THREAT ELEVATED CONVECTION ACROSS FAR SW
SD...IN THE RECYCLING LL MOISTURE PLUME. HOWEVER...BETTER CHANCES
WILL ARRIVE IN THE AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS FAR SW PORTIONS OF THE
FA. BEST CHANCES FOR CONVECTION WILL RESIDE THERE AND INTO THE BH
GIVEN DIURNAL HEATING IN THE MOISTURE BUBBLE. HOWEVER...THE
ADVANCING ND IMPULSE AND ITS ASSOCIATED HEIGHT/FLOW EFFECTS WILL
ADD LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT TO THE EXPECTED SW FA CONVECTION...WITH
WEAK SHEAR SUPPORTING A LIKELY PULSE ENV. DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE
THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY STORM THERE. HOWEVER...IF ENOUGH MOISTURE
DOES ADVECT NORTH INTO NW SD...AN ISOLD TS MAY BE POSSIBLE WHICH
COULD BE BORDERLINE SEVERE/SEVERE ALONG THE SFC TROUGH. THIS WILL
NEED TO BE WATCHED.

FAIRLY WARM CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH LOWS GENERALLY IN THE 60S AND
HIGHS IN THE 80S AND LOW 90S.

&&

.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
ISSUED AT 152 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WRN CONUS WILL KEEP NWRLY
FLOW OVER OUR AREA THROUGH MUCH OF THE EXTENDED. A VARIETY OF SHORT
WAVES SLIDING THROUGH WILL BRING A DAILY CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO
MANY PARTS OF THE AREA. NEAR AVERAGE TEMPS ARE EXPECTED.

&&

.AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON
ISSUED AT 152 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

SCT TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFT/TONIGHT OVER THE
BLKHLS INTO WRN/CNTRL SD. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME
SEVERE...PARTICULARLY OVER SWRN/S CNTRL SD. OTHERWISE...VFR
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED.

&&

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

SHORT TERM...JC
LONG TERM...77
AVIATION...77

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 1:57 AM MST, 13 hours 13 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
257 AM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-211400-
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-
257 AM MDT (357 AM CDT) SAT JUL 20 2013

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY
INTO THIS EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...ARE POSSIBLE OVER AND NEAR THE BLACK HILLS
AND OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...
MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN ON SUNDAY. THE BEST CHANCE
OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY WILL BE OVER SOUTHWESTERN
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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 20, 2:43 PM MST, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
343 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

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

0343 PM     HAIL             1 E DOWNTOWN RAPID CITY 44.07N 103.21W
07/20/2013  M1.00 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   NWS OFFICE

&&

ME

Local storm report, Jul 20, 2:50 PM MST, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
350 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

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

0345 PM     HAIL             2 N DOWNTOWN RAPID CITY 44.11N 103.23W
07/20/2013  E2.00 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

            CRACKED WINDOW AT RESIDENCE.

&&

UNR

Local storm report, Jul 20, 2:52 PM MST, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
352 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

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

0351 PM     HAIL             1 E DOWNTOWN RAPID CITY 44.07N 103.21W
07/20/2013  M1.75 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   NWS OFFICE

&&

ME

Local storm report, Jul 20, 2:57 PM MST, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
357 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

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

0351 PM     HAIL             1 E DOWNTOWN RAPID CITY 44.07N 103.21W
07/20/2013  M1.75 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   NWS OFFICE

&&

KCLARK

Local storm report, Jul 20, 3:00 PM MST, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
400 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 2013

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

0400 PM     HAIL             BOX ELDER               44.12N 103.07W
07/20/2013  E1.00 INCH       PENNINGTON         SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

ME

Local storm report, Jul 20, 3:09 PM MST, 1 minute before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Custer

When: July 20, 3:10 PM MST
Where: Custer County, 4 mi NE of Custer
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.811, -103.543

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: 466477.