Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 31, 2016

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 31, 2016
Start: 2016-07-31T01:40
End: 2016-07-31T01:50
Location: South Dakota

July 31, 2016 · NWS UNR · 2 events in 1 county or zone

An early morning severe thunderstorm produced large hail and strong wind gusts southeast of Farmingdale. Hail covered the ground, with some minor damage to trees and crops.

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.

An early morning severe thunderstorm produced large hail and strong wind gusts southeast of Farmingdale. Hail covered the ground, with some minor damage to trees and crops.

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 31, 1:24 AM MST, 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 1:24 AM MST, 16 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 1:39 AM MST, 1 minute before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 30, 9:48 PM MST, 3 hours 52 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 30, 11:26 PM MST, 2 hours 14 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 30, 11:38 PM MST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 31, 12:09 AM MST, 1 hour 31 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 31, 12:28 AM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 31, 12:59 AM MST, 41 minutes before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Pennington

When: July 31, 1:40 AM MST to 1:50 AM MST
Where: Pennington County, 2.5 mi SE of Farmingdale
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.949, -102.839

The ground was covered with hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When: July 31, 1:40 AM MST to 1:50 AM MST
Where: Pennington County, 2.5 mi SE of Farmingdale
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.949, -102.839

The combination of hail and wind caused minor damage to trees and crops.

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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 653081, 653083.