South Dakota, 2013

Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 8, 2013

July 8, 2013 · NWS UNR · 15 events in 3 counties and zones

A long-lived supercell thunderstorm developed over the northern Black Hills and tracked southeastward across the Black Hills. The storm produced hail as large as baseballs and eventually gusty winds on the plains east of the Black Hills.

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
$910,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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 long-lived supercell thunderstorm developed over the northern Black Hills and tracked southeastward across the Black Hills. The storm produced hail as large as baseballs and eventually gusty winds on the plains east of the Black Hills.

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 8, 12:53 PM MST, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 12:53 PM MST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 8, 2:18 AM MST, 13 hours 7 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
318 AM MDT MON JUL 8 2013

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-091300-
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-
318 AM MDT (418 AM CDT) MON JUL 8 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 OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THERE IS SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY.

&&

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 8, 3:23 PM MST, 2 minutes before
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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:25 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lawrence

When
July 8, 3:25 PM MST
Where
Lawrence County, 6.33 mi SSE of Lead
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.261, -103.742

Hail, Lawrence

When
July 8, 3:25 PM MST
Where
Lawrence County, 4.93 mi SSW of Galena
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.270, -103.695

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:18 PM MST to 4:38 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 0.5 mi W of Johnson Siding
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.080, -103.440

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:20 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 0.74 mi NW of Hisega
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.057, -103.412

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:35 PM MST to 4:40 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 2.9 mi NW of Rockerville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.990, -103.401

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:40 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 1.45 mi ENE of Rockerville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.970, -103.335

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:45 PM MST to 4:55 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 1.21 mi NE of Hayward
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.880, -103.310

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 4:55 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, Hayward
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
43.870, -103.330

Large hail damaged automobiles and other property in the area.

Hail, Custer

When
July 8, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 5.35 mi WNW of Hermosa
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.856, -103.295

Hail, Pennington

When
July 8, 5:00 PM MST to 5:20 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 2.76 mi S of Hayward to 3.52 mi SE of Hayward
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.830, -103.329

Hail, Custer

When
July 8, 5:10 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 1.48 mi WSW of Hermosa to 0.47 mi W of Hermosa
Measured
2.25 in hail
Property damage
$400,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.831, -103.217

Large hail damaged some homes and vehicles near Hermosa.

Hail, Custer

When
July 8, 5:15 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 5.55 mi W of Hermosa
Measured
2.5 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.834, -103.301

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When
July 8, 5:20 PM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 7 mi SSW of Hermosa
Measured
65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.746, -103.244

Hail, Custer

When
July 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 12.49 mi ESE of Fairburn
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.616, -102.982

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When
July 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 12.49 mi ESE of Fairburn
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.616, -102.982

The combination of hail and wind caused minor damage.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 463840, 463841, 463845, 463843, 463846, 463854, 463857, 463856, 463851, 463860, 463848, 463849, 463853, 463863, 463865.