Heavy rain over Fall River County and adjacent areas of Nebraska and Wyoming caused widespread flooding across most of southern Fall River County. Hat Creek, Horsehead Creek, and the Cheyenne River downstream of Angostura Reservoir and their tributaries flooded.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.
Heavy rain over Fall River County and adjacent areas of Nebraska and Wyoming caused widespread flooding across most of southern Fall River County. Hat Creek, Horsehead Creek, and the Cheyenne River downstream of Angostura Reservoir and their tributaries flooded.
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 Jun 4, 10:14 AM MST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 1114 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 940 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS FRONTAL BOUNDARY STILL SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH WEAK SURFACE TROF OVER NORTHEAST WY. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS SHOWS RIDGING OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS...WITH LOW OVER CA. ACTIVE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS. SHORTWAVE OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS IS SLOWLY MOVING NORTHEAST OUT OF THE AREA. REGIONAL RADARS SHOW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER FAR EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...EXITING THE AREA IN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. HOWEVER...MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER NORTHEAST WY ALONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE WAVE. SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY IN GENERAL...BUT THERE IS SOME SUNSHINE OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA. TEMPS ARE IN THE 50S AND LOWER 60S. HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST TO ADJUST POPS FOR LATE THIS MORNING AS THE BULK OF ACTIVITY WILL MOVE EAST OF THE CWA SHORTLY. KEPT WIDESPREAD CHANCE POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AS INSTABILITY INCREASES. THE BEST CHANCES GENERALLY LOOK TO BE ACROSS THE BLACK HILLS AREA AND INTO NORTHEAST WY AS WEAK ENERGY LIFTS NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. THIS IS WHERE THE SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SBCAPE VALUES OF 1500 TO 2500 J/KG ARE PROGGED FOR THE SLIGHT RISK AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SUFFICIENT SHEAR FOR SUPERCELLS...ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST OF THE TROF. ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES MEAN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY WITH ANY HEAVIER STORMS. WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST THROUGH THE DAY AS NEEDED. UPDATE ISSUED AT 615 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO TRANSITION EASTWARD...CURRENTLY OVER THE WESTERN SD PLAINS. UPDATED POPS TO REFLECT CURRENT TRENDS...REMOVING PRECIP CHANCES WEST OF CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY. ALSO SCALED BACK POPS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...AS NEAR-TERM MODELS SHOW LESS WIDESPREAD PRECIP WITH JUST SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDINESS TODAY MAY INHIBIT MANY STORMS FROM DEVELOPING...BUT GENERALLY MODELS ARE HAVING A TOUGH TIME DETERMINING WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH STORMS TODAY. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT ISSUED AT 311 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST FLOW IS PUSHING SHOWERS AND STORMS INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS...ONE OF WHICH REMAINS SEVERE AT THIS TIME. RADAR SHOWS SHOWER COVERAGE OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA...WITH A SUPERCELL CURRENTLY OVER FAR SOUTHWEST SD MOST LIKELY PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SITS OVER NORTHERN ND. WINDS ARE EASTERLY AND LIGHT...WITH TEMPS IN THE 60S. COOL HIGH PRESSURE AND CLOUDINESS WILL KEEP TEMPS BELOW AVERAGE...IN THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. SHORTWAVE WILL MAKE ITS WAY NORTHEAST OF THE CWA BY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT MORE ENERGY FROM UPPER LOW OVER CA WILL EJECT INTO THE REGION. EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MOISTURE INTO THE AREA AND THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE IN THE AFTERNOON. MLCAPE WILL REACH 3000 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN SD...WITH 0-6KM SHEAR AROUND 40 KTS. THEREFORE ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN SD...WITH HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE. WOULD NOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE AROUND AN INCH AGAIN...AND SO CONSIDERED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH ACROSS NORTHEAST WY WHERE FLASH FLOODING IS ONGOING. BELIEVE MOST OF THE CONVECTION WILL BE EAST OF THERE TODAY SO WILL FORGO WATCH FOR NOW. HOWEVER...STORM MOTION IS AROUND 20 KTS IN THE AFTERNOON...DECREASING TO 10 KTS IN THE EVENING...SO WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CONSIDER FLASH FLOODING WITH ANY EVENING CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS AND PERSISTS OVER ALREADY SATURATED GROUND. FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE BRIEFLY DRIER AS RIDGE AXIS IS OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS...BEFORE NEXT PIECE OF ENERGY MOVES INTO THE REGION. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE FRIDAY...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. INGREDIENTS ARE ALSO SUFFICIENT FOR SOME STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN SD. LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO CONSIDER A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR FRIDAY...WHEN PRECIPITABLE WATER IS AROUND 1.5 INCHES AND STORM MOTION IS FAIRLY WEAK. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL BE IN THE 70S. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ISSUED AT 311 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 SPLIT UPPER FLOW DEVELOPS BY SATURDAY...WITH UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN CONUS. MAY BE A BRIEF BREAK IN PRECIP SATURDAY BETWEEN EXITING PRECIP FROM FRIDAY NIGHT AND NEXT WAVE SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. COULD BE A FEW STRONG STORMS...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA...BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. SYSTEM WEAKENS SUNDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SLOWLY MOVES INTO THE AREA FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH DIMINISHING TSRA CHANCES AND WARMING TEMPERATURES. MODELS ARE SHOWING ACTIVE SOUTHWEST FLOW RETURNING FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 1111 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 UPSLOPE FLOW AS WELL AS DEVELOPING SHRA/TSRA LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF MVFR/IFR CIGS/VSBYS NEAR ANY STORMS. HAIL/GUSTY WINDS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. OUTSIDE OF STORMS...CONDITIONS WILL TREND VFR LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN MVFR/IFR ST WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT OVER MOST OF THE AREA WITH LOCAL LIFR CONDITIONS NEAR THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE BLACK HILLS DUE TO ST/BR. && .UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. WY...NONE. && UPDATE...26 SHORT TERM...POJORLIE LONG TERM...POJORLIE AVIATION...HELGESON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 336 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058- 071-050945- 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- 336 AM MDT THU JUN 4 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ACROSS NORTHEASTERN WYOMING...THE BLACK HILLS...AND SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. AN ISOLATED TORNADO MAY BE POSSIBLE. HIGH STREAM FLOWS WITH SOME MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON SOME CREEKS AND STREAMS IN THE BLACK HILLS AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS...AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. SOME OF THE STORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...WHICH COULD AGGRAVATE FLOODING CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER VARIOUS PARTS OF THE AREA EACH DAY FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY...AND HEAVY RAIN MAY WORSEN FLOODING CONDITIONS. DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. .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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
920 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0245 AM HAIL 8 E SMITHWICK 43.32N 103.07W
06/04/2015 E1.00 INCH FALL RIVER SD TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL 2.05 INCH
&&
KCLARKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
926 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0305 AM TSTM WND GST 12 E OELRICHS 43.19N 103.00W
06/04/2015 E60 MPH SHANNON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
KCLARKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
945 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0825 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 ENE ROCHELLE 43.61N 104.90W
06/04/2015 M1.90 INCH WESTON WY TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT. LOTS OF PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL FELL
AS WELL.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
949 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0445 AM TSTM WND GST 5 S POTATO CREEK 43.46N 101.99W
06/04/2015 E60 MPH JACKSON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
HEAVY RAIN AND PEA SIZE HAIL
&&
KCLARKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
952 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 AM TSTM WND GST POTATO CREEK 43.53N 101.99W
06/04/2015 E60 MPH JACKSON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
2.28 RAINFALL AND DRIFTS OF PEA SIZE HAIL
&&
KCLARKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
1126 AM MDT THU JUN 04 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0650 PM HAIL 19 NNW SAVAGETON 44.13N 105.87W
06/03/2015 E0.70 INCH CAMPBELL WY PUBLIC
1 INCH OF RAIN WITHIN 20 MINUTES
0720 PM TORNADO 3 S SAVAGETON 43.82N 105.79W
06/03/2015 CAMPBELL WY FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
1155 PM TSTM WND GST 17 WSW WRIGHT 43.62N 105.79W
06/03/2015 M62.00 MPH CAMPBELL WY DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
0100 AM HEAVY RAIN 13 ESE WRIGHT 43.71N 105.24W
06/04/2015 M0.60 INCH CAMPBELL WY TRAINED SPOTTER
0215 AM TSTM WND GST 1 W DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE 43.85N 104.23W
06/04/2015 E0.00 MPH WESTON WY TRAINED SPOTTER
1.00 INCH RAINFALL.
0220 AM TSTM WND GST 8 W JEWEL CAVE 43.72N 103.99W
06/04/2015 M64.00 MPH CUSTER SD DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
0230 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 ESE HAYWARD 43.86N 103.29W
06/04/2015 M1.25 INCH CUSTER SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0245 AM HAIL 8 E SMITHWICK 43.32N 103.07W
06/04/2015 E1.00 INCH FALL RIVER SD TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL 2.05 INCH
0300 AM HEAVY RAIN NNE OELRICHS 43.18N 103.23W
06/04/2015 M0.98 INCH FALL RIVER SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0305 AM TSTM WND GST 12 E OELRICHS 43.19N 103.00W
06/04/2015 E60.00 MPH SHANNON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0400 AM HEAVY RAIN 6 ESE CLARETON 43.67N 104.56W
06/04/2015 M2.50 INCH WESTON WY TRAINED SPOTTER
0400 AM LIGHTNING 4 NE ROCKERVILLE 44.01N 103.31W
06/04/2015 PENNINGTON SD BROADCAST MEDIA
LIGHTNING DAMAGED HOME. TIME ESTIMATED.
0425 AM TSTM WND GST KYLE 43.42N 102.19W
06/04/2015 E50.00 MPH SHANNON SD PUBLIC
WIND DRIVEN PEA SIZE HAIL
0445 AM TSTM WND GST 5 S POTATO CREEK 43.46N 101.99W
06/04/2015 E60.00 MPH JACKSON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
HEAVY RAIN AND PEA SIZE HAIL
0450 AM TSTM WND GST POTATO CREEK 43.53N 101.99W
06/04/2015 E60.00 MPH JACKSON SD TRAINED SPOTTER
2.28 RAINFALL AND DRIFTS OF PEA SIZE HAIL
0825 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 ENE ROCHELLE 43.61N 104.90W
06/04/2015 M1.90 INCH WESTON WY TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT. LOTS OF PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL FELL
AS WELL.
0830 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 ESE ELM SPRINGS 44.27N 102.44W
06/04/2015 M0.90 INCH MEADE SD TRAINED SPOTTER
OVERNIGHT RAIN
&&
THE STORM REPORTS LISTED BELOW ARE IN DESCENDING ORDER AND MAY NOT NECESSARILY
BE THE FINAL STORM REPORTS.
HAIL REPORTS LISTED BY SIZE (INCHES)
SIZE LOCATION ST COUNTY TIME
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
1.00 8 E SMITHWICK SD FALL RIVER 0245 AM
RAINFALL 2.05 INCH
0.70 19 NNW SAVAGETON WY CAMPBELL 0650 PM
1 INCH OF RAIN WITHIN 20 MINUTES
TSTM WIND REPORTS LISTED BY SPEED (MPH)
SPEED LOCATION ST COUNTY TIME
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
64.00 8 W JEWEL CAVE SD CUSTER 0220 AM
62.00 17 WSW WRIGHT WY CAMPBELL 1155 PM
60.00 POTATO CREEK SD JACKSON 0450 AM
2.28 RAINFALL AND DRIFTS OF PEA SIZE HAIL
60.00 5 S POTATO CREEK SD JACKSON 0445 AM
HEAVY RAIN AND PEA SIZE HAIL
60.00 12 E OELRICHS SD SHANNON 0305 AM
50.00 KYLE SD SHANNON 0425 AM
WIND DRIVEN PEA SIZE HAIL
0.00 1 W DOWNTOWN NEWCASTLE WY WESTON 0215 AM
1.00 INCH RAINFALL.
RAIN AMOUNTS (INCHES)
AMOUNT LOCATION ST COUNTY TIME
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
2.50 6 ESE CLARETON WY WESTON 0400 AM
1.90 3 ENE ROCHELLE WY WESTON 0825 AM
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT. LOTS OF PEA TO MARBLE
SIZE HAIL FELL AS WELL.
1.25 2 ESE HAYWARD SD CUSTER 0230 AM
0.98 NNE OELRICHS SD FALL RIVER 0300 AM
0.90 5 ESE ELM SPRINGS SD MEADE 0830 AM
OVERNIGHT RAIN
0.60 13 ESE WRIGHT WY CAMPBELL 0100 AM
KCLARKThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding in Oral occurred after runoff backed up at a plugged culvert along Sand Creek. East Oral Road was underwater, with several homes and businesses in Oral and north of East Oral Road inundated.
Widespread flooding was reported along Hat Creek from the South Dakota-Nebraska border to Angostura Reservoir, with the river gauge on Highway 71 measuring a record flow. Several other streams in Fall River County flooded. Indian Creek west of Ardmore was a quarter mile wide with water over the approach on the County Road 5 bridge. Washouts were reported on Hay Canyon Road, North Butte Road, Edgemont Road, and Maitland Road. Horsehead Creek was 200 yards wide north of Oelrichs and covered the northbound lane of US Highway 385 with a foot of water for several hours. Due to the high inflows into Angostura Reservoir, the Bureau of Reclamation increased releases to 18,000 cubic feet per second.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, June 2015
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: 587224, 587216.