Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, May 23 to 24, 2018

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, May 23 to 24, 2018
Start: 2018-05-23T16:40
End: 2018-05-24T17:58
Location: South Dakota

May 23 to 24, 2018 · NWS ABR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A couple thunderstorms brought large hail and severe winds to parts of central and northeast South Dakota.

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: 3

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 brought large hail and severe winds to parts of central and northeast South Dakota.

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 23, 2:51 PM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 23, 2:51 PM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 23, 2:48 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
348 PM CDT Wed May 23 2018

MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-242100-
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-
348 PM CDT Wed May 23 2018 /248 PM MDT Wed May 23 2018/

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

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

Thunderstorms are possible through this evening, with large hail
and damaging winds being the main threats especially along and
west of the James River Valley

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Strong to severe storms are possible across eastern South Dakota
and west central Minnesota Thursday afternoon and evening. Large
hail and strong winds are the main threats.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be necessary late this afternoon and
evening.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 23, 4:06 PM CST, 34 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
506 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2018

SDZ006-232230-
Brown SD-
506 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2018

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL BROWN COUNTY UNTIL
530 PM CDT...

At 505 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Westport, or 12 miles north of Aberdeen, moving north at 30 mph.

Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with
this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Frederick, Columbia, Westport, Barnard, Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge and
Houghton.

LAT...LON 4556 9829 4552 9842 4557 9854 4585 9855
      4582 9814
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 185DEG 26KT 4564 9841

Telken

Special weather statement, May 23, 4:21 PM CST, 19 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
521 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2018

SDZ011-232245-
Day SD-
521 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2018

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN DAY COUNTY UNTIL 545 PM
CDT...

At 521 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Butler, or 11 miles west of Webster, moving north at 35 mph.

Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with
this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Bristol, Roslyn, Pierpont and Butler.

LAT...LON 4519 9768 4525 9786 4556 9791 4551 9742
TIME...MOT...LOC 2221Z 189DEG 32KT 4529 9774

Telken

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Day

When: May 23, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Day County, 0.97 mi E of Bristol
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.350, -97.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Stanley

When: May 23, 8:34 PM MST
Where: Stanley County, 0.85 mi NE of Hayes
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.380, -101.010

Hail, Lyman

When: May 24, 5:58 PM CST
Where: Lyman County, 8.04 mi W of Iona
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.540, -99.590

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 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, May 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: 759722, 759724, 759723.