Hail in South Dakota, July 9, 2020

Name: Hail in South Dakota, July 9, 2020
Start: 2020-07-09T02:56
End: 2020-07-09T04:06
Location: South Dakota

July 9, 2020 · NWS UNR · 3 events in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm developed and tracked southeast across Fall River County, producing hail to golf ball size.

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: $5,000
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 UNR wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm developed and tracked southeast across Fall River County, producing hail to golf ball size.

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 9, 2:15 AM MST, 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 2:15 AM MST, 41 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 2:40 AM MST, 16 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 8, 11:37 PM MST, 3 hours 19 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1237 AM MDT Thu Jul 9 2020

SDZ031-090715-
Pennington Co Plains SD-
1237 AM MDT Thu Jul 9 2020

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHEASTERN PENNINGTON COUNTY...

At 1237 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 6
miles north of Scenic, or 37 miles east of Rapid City, moving east at
25 mph.

Nickel size hail will be possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Scenic, Pinnacles Ranger Station and northern Badlands National Park.

LAT...LON 4382 10266 4399 10257 4391 10211 4370 10221
      4370 10230
TIME...MOT...LOC 0637Z 291DEG 21KT 4387 10253

Rudge

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 12:27 AM MST, 2 hours 29 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
127 AM MDT Thu Jul 9 2020

SDZ030-031-090815-
Custer Co Plains SD-Pennington Co Plains SD-
127 AM MDT Thu Jul 9 2020

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHEASTERN CUSTER AND SOUTH CENTRAL
PENNINGTON COUNTIES...

At 127 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Folsom, or 27 miles southeast of Rapid City, moving east at 25 mph.

Nickel size hail will be possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Scenic, Folsom, Sheep Mountain Table and Badlands National Park.

LAT...LON 4374 10292 4385 10292 4385 10259 4381 10241
      4369 10247 4369 10280
TIME...MOT...LOC 0727Z 289DEG 23KT 4381 10282

Rudge

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 1:59 AM MST, 57 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 2:01 AM MST, 55 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 2:03 AM MST, 53 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 2:52 AM MST, 4 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Fall River

When: July 9, 2:56 AM MST
Where: Fall River County, 8.66 mi NE of Edgemont
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.390, -103.710

Hail damaged vehicles.

Hail, Fall River

When: July 9, 3:15 AM MST
Where: Fall River County, 5.53 mi W of Angostura Reservoir
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.340, -103.550

Hail, Fall River

When: July 9, 4:06 AM MST
Where: Fall River County, 3 mi W of Oelrichs
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.180, -103.290

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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, July 2020

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: 907041, 907046, 907049.