South Dakota, 2016

Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 2016

July 27, 2016 · NWS UNR · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm produced strong wind gusts and hail to quarter size over portions of eastern Fall River County.

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
2

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 produced strong wind gusts and hail to quarter size over portions of eastern Fall River County.

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 27, 1:30 PM MST, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 27, 1:30 PM MST, 6 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion For Western SD and Northeastern WY
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
230 PM MDT WED JUL 27 2016

.SHORT TERM...(This Evening Through Thursday Night)
Issued at 228 PM MDT Wed Jul 27 2016

20z surface analysis had a frontal boundary from southwest MT
into the Black Hills into central NE, and then winding back into
central MN. Distinct compact shortwave noted over northeast WY per
water vapour loop, which is assisting on going convection over
parts of the CWA this afternoon. Activity developing in a 1-2KJ/kg
MLCAPE regime. MLCIN about gone most places. 0-6km effective
shear 15-20m/s, which will be enough for a couple of strong to
severe storms through this evening.

Overnight, subsidence behind departing shortwave will bring a
respite from storms, but a stronger wave will push southeast into
the CWA late tonight. It will be preceded by a 20-30kt low level jet
and associated theta-e advection. Guidance has been consistent
bringing a blob of precipitation through the CWA with embedded
thunderstorms. Have upped pops to account. Temperatures will be near
guidance.

Thursday, overnight storms will slowly shift southeast with daytime
recovery limited so suspect additional storms will be less active
than previous days. Temperatures will be near guidance.

.LONG TERM...(Friday Through Wednesday)
Issued at 228 PM MDT Wed Jul 27 2016

Chances for showers and thunderstorms will continue Friday,
mainly over the eastern CWA where upper energy will be focused.
Highs will be in the 80s.

With weak upper ridging briefly over the region this weekend, warmer
and drier conditions are expected. Isolated thunderstorms will
remain in the forecast for the weekend. Towards the end of the
weekend, the Canadian low pressure system will push the ridge
eastward, placing the northern plains back in more active zonal to
southwest flow. Above average temperatures will continue into early
next week.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS Through 18Z Thursday)
Issued At 228 PM MDT Wed Jul 27 2016

A band of showers/storms across northwest South Dakota into the
Black Hills will continue to move eastward this afternoon, with
IFR to MVFR conditions around heavier showers and storms. Mainly
VFR conditions expected by early evening as showers and storms
move east and south of the area. Additional rain showers with MVFR
conditions expected across northeast Wyoming and western SD by
early Thursday morning.

&&

.UNR Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
SD...None.
WY...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...Helgeson
LONG TERM...15
AVIATION...15
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 27, 3:19 AM MST, 10 hours 17 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
419 AM MDT WED JUL 27 2016

SDZ001-012-024>031-041-042-072>074-WYZ054>058-071-281300-
HARDING-BUTTE-NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-RAPID CITY-
SOUTHERN FOOT HILLS-CENTRAL BLACK HILLS-SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS-
CUSTER CO PLAINS-PENNINGTON CO PLAINS-FALL RIVER-OGLALA LAKOTA-
STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS-SOUTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-
HERMOSA FOOT HILLS-NORTHERN CAMPBELL-SOUTHERN CAMPBELL-
WESTERN CROOK-WYOMING BLACK HILLS-WESTON-NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
419 AM MDT WED JUL 27 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE BLACK HILLS
OF SOUTH DAKOTA...WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTHEAST WYOMING...AND
THE BLACK HILLS OF WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE
BLACK HILLS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER
IS POSSIBLE IN THE PERIOD.

.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

SDZ002-013-014-032-043-044-046-047-049-281300-
PERKINS-NORTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-ZIEBACH-HAAKON-JACKSON-BENNETT-
MELLETTE-TODD-TRIPP-
419 AM MDT WED JUL 27 2016 /519 AM CDT WED JUL 27 2016/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
SOUTH DAKOTA...AND WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. SEVERE WEATHER
IS NOT EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER
IS POSSIBLE IN THE PERIOD.

.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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 27, 10:37 AM MST, 2 hours 59 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 11:37 AM MST, 1 hour 59 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 12:01 PM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 12:55 PM MST, 41 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 12:59 PM MST, 37 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 1:05 PM MST, 31 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fall River

When
July 27, 1:36 PM MST
Where
Fall River County, 2.69 mi SW of Oral
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.376, -103.312

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Hail, Fall River

When
July 27, 2:00 PM MST to 2:05 PM MST
Where
Fall River County, 7.55 mi E of Smithwick
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.286, -103.071

What these are

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.
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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, July 2016

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: 645265, 645269.