South Dakota, 2023

Tornado and Hail in South Dakota, July 18, 2023

July 18, 2023 · NWS ABR · 23 events in 4 counties and zones

Thunderstorms developed along a cold front brought severe weather to central South Dakota during the evening hours. A storm moved into Pierre and Fort Pierre, SD, producing hail.

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
23

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.

Thunderstorms developed along a cold front brought severe weather to central South Dakota during the evening hours. A storm moved into Pierre and Fort Pierre, SD, producing hail. There were numerous reports of baseball-sized hail across the area, and even one larger than a softball, with an estimated diameter of 5.0 inches. The hailstone is the largest on record in Hughes County (4.0 in Pierre on 6/30/1997 and Blunt on 8/26/2018). Damage was done to vehicles, roofs, and other outside structures. The storm also produced a brief tornado about 11 miles south of Fort Pierre, just west of US Highway 83, around 6:45 pm CDT. These storms then moved south and east through the evening, producing large hail and damaging winds. A wind gust of 100 mph was recorded just west of Oacoma at 8:15 pm CDT via a weather station from the South Dakota State University's mesonet. Damage was done to power poles, trees, trailers, and other property in and around Oacoma.

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 Jul 18, 5:28 PM CST, 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 5:28 PM CST, 9 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 3:04 PM CST, 2 hours 33 minutes before
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The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 195 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:37 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.99 mi W of Pierre
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
44.370, -100.350

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.99 mi W of (Pir)pierre Arpt
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.380, -100.300

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.85 mi NE of Pierre
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.380, -100.320

Hail, Hyde

When
July 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Hyde County, 4.17 mi N of Holabird
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.580, -99.590

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:43 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.99 mi W of Pierre
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.370, -100.350

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.99 mi W of Pierre
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.370, -100.350

Hail, Stanley

When
July 18, 4:45 PM MST
Where
Stanley County, 1.47 mi NNW of Ft Pierre
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.370, -100.380

Tornado, Stanley

When
July 18, 4:45 PM MST to 4:50 PM MST
Where
Stanley County, 9.69 mi S of Ft Pierre to 9.75 mi S of Ft Pierre
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.12 mi
Path width
10 yd
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.210, -100.380

A member of the public shared a video of a nearly stationary tornado in an open field.

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:47 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 1.21 mi SW of Pierre
Measured
4.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.360, -100.350

A photo of an estimated 4.5 inch hailstone was submitted on Facebook.

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 5:56 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.69 mi S of Pierre
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.360, -100.330

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.99 mi W of Pierre
Measured
3 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.370, -100.350

A photo of an estimated 3 inch hailstone was submitted on Facebook.

Hail, Hyde

When
July 18, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hyde County, 8.8 mi NNE of Highmore Arpt
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.650, -99.370

Hail, Hughes

When
July 18, 6:18 PM CST
Where
Hughes County, 0.49 mi W of Pierre
Measured
3 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.370, -100.340

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 6:29 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 6.3 mi N of Lower Brule
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.170, -99.590

Hail, Lyman

When
July 18, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 5.25 mi WSW of Lower Brule
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.040, -99.660

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 3.06 mi WSW of Lower Brule
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.070, -99.630

A trained spotter estimated 70 mph winds, which caused tree damage and downed powerlines. Solar panels were also damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 6:48 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 0.5 mi W of Lower Brule
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.080, -99.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 0.85 mi NW of Oacoma
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.810, -99.410

A semi was tipped over on Instate 90.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 1.47 mi SSW of Reliance
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.860, -99.610

Report of a semi tipped over along Interstate 90.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 1 mi W of Oacoma
Measured
87 kt (100 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.800, -99.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:16 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 1 mi E of Oacoma
Measured
65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.800, -99.380

A trained spotter reported tree damage, downed powerlines, tipped over campers, and roof damage in and around Oacoma.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:28 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 0.5 mi E of Reliance Arpt
Measured
62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.850, -99.560

Hail, Lyman

When
July 18, 7:49 PM CST
Where
Lyman County, 4.85 mi SW of Kennebec
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.860, -99.950

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 2023Warnings in South Dakota, July 2023

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: 1117738, 1117739, 1117740, 1117741, 1117742, 1117743, 1117744, 1117752, 1117745, 1117746, 1117747, 1117748, 1117749, 1117759, 1117750, 1117760, 1117755, 1117753, 1117754, 1117756, 1117758, 1117757, 1117751.