Hail in South Dakota, July 30, 2013

Name: Hail in South Dakota, July 30, 2013
Start: 2013-07-30T12:55
End: 2013-07-30T15:30
Location: South Dakota

July 30, 2013 · NWS UNR · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm developed over northern Butte County and moved southeast across Meade County, producing hail to golf ball size.

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 developed over northern Butte County and moved southeast across Meade County, producing hail to golf ball size.

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 30, 10:15 AM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 30, 10:15 AM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 30, 4:00 AM MST, 8 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
500 AM MDT TUE JUL 30 2013

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-311300-
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-
500 AM MDT (600 AM CDT) TUE JUL 30 2013

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A
SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL
SOUTH DAKOTA INTO FAR NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM
THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY.
HOWEVER...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THURSDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...
WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS.

CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY WITH WIDESPREAD
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...ISOLATED
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

&&

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 30, 7:33 AM MST, 5 hours 22 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 30, 12:26 PM MST, 29 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
126 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 2013

SDZ001-012-302015-
BUTTE SD-HARDING SD-
126 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 2013

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER FAR NORTHERN BUTTE AND SOUTHERN
HARDING COUNTIES UNTIL 215 PM MDT...

AT 123 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF REDIG...OR 26 MILES SOUTH OF
BUFFALO...MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  HOOVER...

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

&&

LAT...LON 4530 10343 4521 10316 4509 10326 4498 10346
      4512 10368 4521 10378 4532 10366
TIME...MOT...LOC 1926Z 291DEG 12KT 4520 10358

BUNKERS

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Butte

When: July 30, 12:55 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 9.11 mi W of Hoover
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.115, -103.457

Hail, Meade

When: July 30, 2:30 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 10.82 mi W of Union Center
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.590, -102.886

Hail, Meade

When: July 30, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 6.25 mi SSW of Elm Springs
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.229, -102.587

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: 466867, 466868, 466869.