South Dakota, 2017

Hail in South Dakota, May 16, 2017

May 16, 2017 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A couple thunderstorms lifting north across the region brought quarter size hail to parts of Day and Hamlin counties.

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 ABR wrote it up.

A couple thunderstorms lifting north across the region brought quarter size hail to parts of Day and Hamlin counties.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 15, 11:19 PM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 11:19 PM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 15, 2:56 AM CST, 22 hours 39 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
356 AM CDT Mon May 15 2017

MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-160900-
Traverse-Big Stone-Corson-Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Marshall-
Roberts-Walworth-Edmunds-Day-Dewey-Potter-Faulk-Spink-Clark-
Codington-Grant-Hamlin-Deuel-Stanley-Sully-Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Jones-
Lyman-Buffalo-
356 AM CDT Mon May 15 2017 /256 AM MDT Mon May 15 2017/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of west central
Minnesota, central South Dakota, north central South Dakota, and
northeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A round of general showers and thunderstorms will work from west
to east across South Dakota and into west central MN by late
morning/early afternoon.

There should be a break in the action this afternoon before a
second round of thunderstorms moves into the region this evening
and through the overnight hours. Isolated severe storms are
possible, and any storm that does go severe could have large
hail, strong winds, and produce heavy rain.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday

The active pattern continues with thunderstorms chances Tuesday
afternoon and Tuesday night. There is the possibility of a couple
of stronger storms Tuesday as well. More rain chances are possible
Wednesday, but only general thunder is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed tonight.

Serr

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 16, 1:32 AM CST, 3 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
232 AM CDT TUE MAY 16 2017

SDZ019>023-160815-
Hamlin SD-Clark SD-Deuel SD-Grant SD-Codington SD-
232 AM CDT TUE MAY 16 2017

...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR DEUEL...HAMLIN...SOUTH CENTRAL
GRANT...SOUTHEASTERN CLARK AND SOUTHEASTERN CODINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL
315 AM CDT...

At 231 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Bryant to near Lake Benton. Movement was
northeast at 40 mph.

Half inch hail and winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with
these storms.

Locations impacted include...
Watertown, Clear Lake, Estelline, Castlewood, Lake Norden, Bryant,
Hayti, Rauville, Gary, Toronto, Waverly, Kranzburg, Goodwin, Astoria,
Brandt, Hazel, Altamont, Bullhead Lake, Kellerton Church and Moritz.

LAT...LON 4454 9736 4459 9754 4507 9716 4488 9645
      4454 9646
TIME...MOT...LOC 0731Z 247DEG 48KT 4460 9737 4432 9635

TDK

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hamlin

When
May 16, 1:35 AM CST
Where
Hamlin County, 1.47 mi SSE of Stone Bridge
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.580, -97.040

Hail, Day

When
May 16, 4:02 AM CST
Where
Day County, Pierpont
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
45.500, -97.830

What these are

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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, May 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: 703330, 703331.