South Dakota, 2018

Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, July 3, 2018

July 3, 2018 · NWS UNR · 13 events in 4 counties and zones

A line of severe thunderstorms developed across the Black Hills and tracked northeast across the west central South Dakota plains into central South Dakota. The storms produced small hail and wind gusts to 80 mph, causing minor damage.

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
13

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 line of severe thunderstorms developed across the Black Hills and tracked northeast across the west central South Dakota plains into central South Dakota. The storms produced small hail and wind gusts to 80 mph, causing minor damage.

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 3, 4:00 PM MST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 3, 4:00 PM MST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion For Western SD and Northeastern WY
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
500 PM MDT Tue Jul 3 2018

.DISCUSSION...(This Evening Through Tuesday)
Issued at 151 PM MDT Tue Jul 3 2018

With an upper trough over the Pac NW, upper flow is southwesterly
over the northern plains. Skies across the CWA are partly cloudy.
The surface low sits over south central SD, with the cool
front/stationary boundary stretching westward into WY. Winds are
light and variable, and temperatures are rising into the 80s.

This evening, a shortwave associated with the upper trough will
slide into the region. Best 0-6 km shear (40-50 kts) will be across
the western half of the CWA, while best instability (MLCAPE of 2-3
kJ/kg) will be across the eastern half. Nonetheless, decent
overlapping of each, combined with the upper-level forcing and low-
level boundary, should provide a good environment for the
development of strong to severe thunderstorms and allow the cap to
be broken. CAMs are showing storms moving into northeastern WY
around 23-00Z as multicells and supercells, spreading across western
SD during the evening while turning into a LLJ-enhanced MCS, and
finally exiting the CWA around midnight. Expecting wind and hail to
be the main threats initially, changing into more of a wind threat
as the evening progresses. Also cannot rule out tornadoes,
especially along the boundary.

A drier pattern will begin Wednesday, along with a warming trend, as
an upper ridge builds over the western and central states. Highs
will be in the upper 70s to upper 80s Wednesday and Thursday,
warming into the 90s for Friday and the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS Through 00Z Wednesday Evening)
Issued At 500 PM MDT Tue Jul 3 2018

Scattered TSRA will cross the area this evening into the overnight
period. Some of the TSRA will be strong to severe, with gusty
winds the primary concern. Brief MVFR/IFR cigs and vsbys will
also be possible in the strongest storms. MVFR cigs may linger
behind the storms across northeast WY before conditions improve
by morning. Gusty northwest winds will also develop overnight and
continue through early Wednesday.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...None.
WY...None.
&&

DISCUSSION...Pojorlie
AVIATION...Sherburn
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 3, 3:14 AM MST, 16 hours 21 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
414 AM MDT Tue Jul 3 2018

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-072>074-WYZ054>058-071-041300-
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-
Oglala Lakota-Jackson-Bennett-Sturgis/Piedmont Foot Hills-
Southern Meade Co Plains-Hermosa Foot Hills-Northern Campbell-
Southern Campbell-Western Crook-Wyoming Black Hills-Weston-
Northeastern Crook-
414 AM MDT Tue Jul 3 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwestern
South Dakota...southwestern South Dakota...the Black Hills of
South Dakota...northeast Wyoming...and the Black Hills of
Wyoming.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms are expected late this afternoon into
tonight. Some storms may be severe, with large hail and damaging
winds possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed today.

&&

Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for further updates...or check
our web site at weather.gov/rapidcity

SDZ046-047-049-041300-
Mellette-Todd-Tripp-
514 AM CDT Tue Jul 3 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of south central
South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms are expected late this afternoon into
tonight. Some storms may be severe, with large hail and damaging
winds possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday

There is a chance of thunderstorms Wednesday. Some thunderstorms
may be strong.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed today.

&&

Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for further updates...or check
our web site at weather.gov/rapidcity

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 3, 5:25 PM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 3, 5:36 PM MST, 1 hour 59 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 3, 6:06 PM MST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 3, 6:44 PM MST, 51 minutes before
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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When
July 3, 7:35 PM MST
Where
Custer County, Dewey
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.530, -104.040

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.

Hail, Custer

When
July 3, 8:15 PM MST
Where
Custer County, 5 mi ENE of Custer
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.798, -103.507

Hail, Pennington

When
July 3, 9:13 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, New Underwood
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.090, -102.840

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
July 3, 9:13 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, New Underwood
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.090, -102.840

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 70 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
July 3, 9:25 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 3 mi NW of Wasta
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.101, -102.493

Thunderstorm Wind, Pennington

When
July 3, 9:40 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 9.41 mi NNW of Creighton
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.370, -102.300

The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
July 3, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Haakon County, 10.46 mi WSW of Milesville
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.400, -101.870

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When
July 3, 10:15 PM MST
Where
Ziebach County, 2 mi SW of Bridger
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.529, -101.929

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When
July 3, 10:20 PM MST
Where
Ziebach County, 8 mi NNE of Bridger
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.657, -101.838

Wind gusts were estimated near 80 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When
July 3, 10:41 PM MST
Where
Haakon County, 9.33 mi NE of Kirley
Measured
59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.630, -101.190

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When
July 3, 10:50 PM MST
Where
Ziebach County, 13.97 mi SSE of Dupree
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.870, -101.470

The strong winds blew a roof off a barn.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When
July 3, 10:52 PM MST
Where
Ziebach County, 18.62 mi SE of Dupree
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.860, -101.330

Siding was torn off part of the house.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ziebach

When
July 3, 11:02 PM MST
Where
Ziebach County, 18.54 mi ESE of Dupree
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.990, -101.230

Trees and power lines were downed by the wind, and a house roof was damaged.

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 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, July 2018

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: 761402, 761405, 761406, 761408, 761409, 761420, 761412, 761414, 761415, 761433, 761422, 761427, 761434.