Convective showers produced gusty winds across west central South Dakota.
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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.
Convective showers produced gusty winds across west central South Dakota.
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 May 6, 2:05 PM MST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 305 PM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 .SHORT TERM...THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT ISSUED AT 304 PM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER FAR NORTHEAST CO. A COLD FRONT LIES FROM FAR WESTERN ND INTO THE BLACK HILLS AREA AND ACROSS SOUTHERN WY. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW CENTERED OVER SOUTHWEST NEB...WITH WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING PLENTY OF MOISTURE STREAMING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE LOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL INTO NORTHERN PLAINS. DEFORMATION ZONE IN PLACE OVER WESTERN SD. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES REMAIN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TO THE EAST OF THE COLD FRONT. KUDX RADAR SHOWS SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS OVER MOST OF THE CWA...WITH THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS TO THE EAST OF THE BLACK HILLS. A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS ALSO NOTED TO THE EAST OF THE BLACK HILLS. REGIONAL RADARS SHOW HEAVIER ACTIVITY OVER CENTRAL NEB...ROTATING NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD SOUTH CENTRAL SD. TEMPS ARE MOSTLY IN THE 60S TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT...UPPER 40S AND 50S TO THE WEST ACROSS NORTHEAST WY AND THE BLACK HILLS. SHOWERY WX WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES SLOWLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE BEST CHANCES FOR PCPN WILL BE INTO THIS EVENING ACROSS WESTERN SD AS THE COLD FRONT SLOWLY CROSSES THE AREA...WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXPECTED... ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE BLACK HILLS. ISOLATED STORMS WITH SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE TOWARD SOUTH CENTRAL SD LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH THE EVENING. LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 30S OVER THE HIGHER BLACK HILLS TO THE 50S OVER SOUTH CENTRAL SD. A LITTLE LIGHT SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE BLACK HILLS LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY. MODELS ARE IN DISAGREEMENT ON THURSDAY WITH REGARD TO PCPN CHANCES ACROSS THE AREA. NAM IS MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY ON THURSDAY...WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA DURING THE DAY. ECMWF...GFS...AND SREF GENERALLY SHOW MORE ISOLATED ACTIVITY...WITH CONDITIONS MOSTLY DRYING OUT BY LATE IN THE DAY. WILL LEAN MORE TOWARD THE NAM AND KEEP CHANCE POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA THROUGH THE DAY...WITH HIGHER POPS OVER THE BLACK HILLS. SKIES WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S AND LOWER 60S. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL SD PLAINS DURING THE DAY. SHOWERS SHOULD TAPER OFF LATE IN THE DAY OR EARLY EVENING...WITH SOME CLEARING OVERNIGHT. LOWS WILL MOSTLY RANGE FROM THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOME FROST LOOKS POSSIBLE IN VALLEY LOCATIONS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST WY AND FAR WESTERN SD. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ISSUED AT 304 PM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 AS THE UPPER LOW SPINS OVER CALIFORNIA...WEAK ENERGY WILL EJECT INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS FRIDAY AND WILL KEEP CHANCES OF SHOWERS AROUND...MAINLY ACROSS THE SW CWA. PRECIP CHANCES INCREASE SATURDAY AS THE CALIFORNIA CLOSED LOW MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. COLD AIR WILL WRAP AROUND THE LOW AS IT MOVES NORTHEASTWARD...WITH BOTH THE ECM AND GFS SHOWING 850MB TEMPS AROUND 0C. MUCH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS WITH THE TRACK OF THIS STORM...BUT WILL PROBABLY FALL AS SNOW AT LEAST ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE BLACK HILLS. THERE IS STILL LOTS OF DEBATE AS TO WHETHER SNOW WILL MAKE IT OR STICK TO THE GROUND ACROSS THE LOWER PLAINS...AND HOW MUCH ACCUMULATION THERE WILL BE IF ANY. PRECIP WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY...AND THEN MODELS ARE HINTING AT A WEAK RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE REGION FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK BRINGING A WARMING TREND AND DRIER WEATHER. TEMPERATURES FOR THE END OF THIS WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE...GENERALLY IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY EVENING ISSUED AT 304 PM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA INTO TONIGHT BEFORE GRADUALLY DECREASING THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO THU MORNING. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY. && .UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. WY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...26 LONG TERM...13 AVIATION...13
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 228 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058- 071-070830- 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- 228 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SEVERAL DISTURBANCES WILL CROSS THE AREA DURING THE REST OF THIS WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND...PRODUCING DAILY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS. A LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE ENTIRE REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH LIQUID PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH POSSIBLE. COLDER AIR WRAPPING INTO THE SYSTEM SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY COULD LEAD TO ACCUMULATING SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE BLACK HILLS. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH WITH THE PRECIPITATION...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW WITH REGARDS TO THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AND SUBSEQUENT POTENTIAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS. STAY TUNED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES... OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RAPIDCITY
The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:14 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusty winds blew the community center's roof into the building. About 40 people were attending a meeting and three received minor injuries.
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, May 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: 580489.