Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 18, 2017

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 18, 2017
Start: 2017-07-18T17:10
End: 2017-07-18T20:00
Location: South Dakota

July 18, 2017 · NWS UNR · 20 events in 3 counties and zones

A long-lived supercell thunderstorm tracked from Montana across Butte and Meade Counties. The storm produced large hail and strong wind gusts, especially over southeastern Butte 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: 20

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 tracked from Montana across Butte and Meade Counties. The storm produced large hail and strong wind gusts, especially over southeastern Butte County. Widespread property damage occurred in Newell, where hail to baseball size and wind gusts to 90 mph were observed.

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 18, 3:37 PM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 3:37 PM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 5:20 AM MST, 11 hours 50 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 3:59 PM MST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 18, 4:06 PM MST, 1 hour 4 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:27 PM MST, 43 minutes before

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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 162 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harding

When: July 18, 5:10 PM MST
Where: Harding County, 8.74 mi WSW of Harding
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.330, -103.980

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 5:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 25.13 mi NNW of Belle Fourche Airport
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.080, -104.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 18, 5:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 25.13 mi NNW of Belle Fourche Airport
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.080, -104.000

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 5:57 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 17.12 mi WNW of Castle Rock
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.030, -103.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 18, 5:57 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 17.12 mi WNW of Castle Rock
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.030, -103.770

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:25 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 6.81 mi NW of Newell
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.770, -103.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 18, 6:25 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 6.81 mi NW of Newell
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.770, -103.530

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:30 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Newell
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.710, -103.420

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:30 PM MST to 6:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Newell
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.710, -103.420

The combination of hail to baseball size and strong wind gusts damaged automobiles, houses, signs, and other property in town.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:32 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 3.7 mi SW of Newell
Measured: 2 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.670, -103.470

The spotter also reported 50 mph wind gusts.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 18, 6:35 PM MST to 6:50 PM MST
Where: Butte County, Newell
Measured: 81 kt (93 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.710, -103.420

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 3 mi S of Newell
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.667, -103.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Butte

When: July 18, 6:35 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 3 mi S of Newell
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.667, -103.420

Ten inch diameter tree limbs were broken off trees.

Hail, Butte

When: July 18, 6:51 PM MST
Where: Butte County, 1 mi E of Vale
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.620, -103.380

Hail, Meade

When: July 18, 7:08 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 16.33 mi NW of Hereford
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.560, -103.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 18, 7:08 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 16.33 mi NW of Hereford
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.560, -103.100

Wind gusts were estimated at 70 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 18, 7:25 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 3 mi W of Union Center
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.560, -102.731

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 18, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 6 mi NNW of Hereford
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.470, -102.916

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 70 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 18, 7:35 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 1 mi N of Hereford
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.404, -102.870

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 18, 8:00 PM MST
Where: Meade County, 5.24 mi ESE of Elm Springs
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.270, -102.440

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 65 mph.

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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, July 2017

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: 704792, 704794, 704796, 704799, 704800, 704807, 704810, 704811, 704818, 704824, 704819, 704825, 704826, 704827, 704828, 704829, 704830, 704831, 704834, 704835.