South Dakota, 2018

Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 3, 2018

July 3, 2018 · NWS UNR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A thunderstorm briefly became severe over northwestern Meade County, producing wind gusts around 60 mph near Mud Butte.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 thunderstorm briefly became severe over northwestern Meade County, producing wind gusts around 60 mph near Mud Butte.

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, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 3, 4:00 PM MST, 5 hours 30 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, 18 hours 16 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

Special weather statement, Jul 3, 8:55 PM MST, 35 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 3, 9:09 PM MST, 21 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 3, 9:12 PM MST, 18 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 3, 9:19 PM MST, 11 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 3, 9:27 PM MST, 3 minutes before
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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When
July 3, 9:30 PM MST
Where
Meade County, 1 mi ENE of Mud Butte
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.005, -102.861

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.

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 761441.