Damaging Winds in South Dakota, June 9, 2026

Name: Damaging Winds in South Dakota, June 9, 2026
Start: 2026-06-09T17:15
End: 2026-06-09T19:44
Location: South Dakota

June 9, 2026 · NWS UNR · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

A few storms across Bennette and Mallette counties produced minor severe weather.

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: 5

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 few storms across Bennette and Mallette counties produced minor severe weather.

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 Jun 9, 4:45 PM MST, 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Slight to enhanced (level 2-3 out of 5) risk of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and early evening east of the Black Hills from about 09/20z to 10/03z. All hazards possible (60-80mph wind gusts, 2"+ hail, isolated tornado).
Critical fire weather conditions through early this evening over northeastern WY.
Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions Wednesday and Friday afternoon over northeastern WY/southwestern SD due to very dry air.
Unsettled weather through the weekend per a series of fronts with up/down temperatures trending coolish for the weekend.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 9, 4:45 PM MST, 30 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion For Western SD and Northeastern WY
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
545 PM MDT Tue Jun 9 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Slight to enhanced (level 2-3 out of 5) risk of severe
  thunderstorms this afternoon and early evening east of the Black
  Hills from about 09/20z to 10/03z. All hazards possible
  (60-80mph wind gusts, 2"+ hail, isolated tornado).
- Critical fire weather conditions through early this evening
  over northeastern WY.
- Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions Wednesday and
  Friday afternoon over northeastern WY/southwestern SD due to
  very dry air.
- Unsettled weather through the weekend per a series of fronts
  with up/down temperatures trending coolish for the weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...(This Evening Through Tuesday)
Issued at 1201 PM MDT Tue Jun 9 2026

18z surface analysis had low over southwest ND with a wavy
stationary front into MN, a dry-line into the Black Hills, and a
cold front into southwest WY. Gusty southeast winds ahead of dry-
line per 3-5mb/3hr pressure falls in ND. Morning water vapour
loop/0.5km visible imagery showed a distinct MCV moving from
central NE to eastern SD early this afternoon. Widening our view,
upper trough over the northwest CONUS with embedded
jetlet/shortwave over WY heading our way. Effects of these
features the main forecast concern.

Latest ensemble guidance indicate shortwave will lift northeast
this afternoon with attendant increase in mid-level flow
overtopping dryline. 2-3KJ/kg mean MUCAPE per SPC HREF pools
ahead of dryline with weakening MLCIN. Preliminary look at 18z
KUNR sounding shows the MLCIN well, in an otherwise deeply mixed-
sounding with steep lapse rates to 500mb. Effective shear
forecast to increase to 35-45kts. Most CAMS suggest convective
initiation between 09/19-21z over northwestern SD nearest the dry-
line/stationary front interface. Convection should zipper
south/south-east through the late afternoon/early evening hours,
moving east/northeast. Any discrete storms have the potential for
very large hail and isolated tornadoes. Right now, main mode looks
to be linear with potential for signficant wind gusts given 1800
DCAPE and CAM wind gust output for the eastern half of the CWA.
Best conditions for supercells develop east/north of CWA this
evening. Confidence in thunderstorms is high, but how they
evolve/strengthen will be dependent on where the boundaries are
in relationship to upper forcing given lower confidence to severe
weather evolution.

Colder air filters into the area tonight with noticeably cooler
weather for Tuesday along with some shra/TS per cyclonic flow/very
weak buoyancy.

Rest of the forecast looks unsettled as a series of disturbances
traverse the northern plains per northwest flow aloft. Deeper
trough brings higher PoPs/cooler temperatures for the weekend.
Each front/disturbance will bring gusty winds.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS Through 00Z Wednesday Evening)
Issued At 542 PM MDT Tue Jun 9 2026

VFR conditions are generally expected through the forecast
period. Showers and thunderstorms are expected early this evening
(mainly over central SD) and will push eastward. MVFR/IFR
conditions and gusty, erratic winds are possible with any storms.
Gusty southwesterly winds will give way to northwesterly winds
behind a passing cold front this evening. Breezy NW winds will
persist through Wednesday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued At 1201 PM MDT Tue Jun 9 2026

Critical fire weather conditions will continue through this
evening over northeastern Wyoming. Minimum relative humidities
will drop to 10-20% with southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph, gusting
up to 45 mph. Storms will be high-based and capable of gusty,
erratic winds and lightning. These storms will have little
precipitation. Red Flag warning continues. Fuels are greener of
western SD, so no headlines continue.

The rest of the week will be unsettled as a series of fronts move
through, each containing gusty winds and variable temperatures.
Elevated to near-critical fire weather conditions are expected
Wednesday and Friday due to very dry air (teens minimum relative
humidity over northeastern Wyoming and southwestern South Dakota).

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...None.
WY...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for WYZ314-315-317.
&&

DISCUSSION/KEY MESSAGES...Helgeson
AVIATION...13
FIRE WEATHER...Helgeson

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 9, 4:33 PM MST, 42 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
533 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0525 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     13 W Oglala             43.18N 102.99W
06/09/2026  M57 mph          Oglala Lakota      SD   Mesonet

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, Jun 9, 4:41 PM MST, 34 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
541 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0528 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 8 ENE Pine Tree Junctio 43.65N 105.62W
06/09/2026  M52 mph          Campbell           WY   Mesonet

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, Jun 9, 4:43 PM MST, 32 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
543 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0536 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 17 WSW Wright           43.62N 105.79W
06/09/2026  M53 mph          Campbell           WY   Dept of Highways

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, Jun 9, 4:57 PM MST, 18 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
557 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0550 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 ENE Pine Ridge        43.05N 102.47W
06/09/2026  M50 mph          Oglala Lakota      SD   Mesonet

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, Jun 9, 5:02 PM MST, 13 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
602 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0554 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 E Cactus Flat         43.84N 101.82W
06/09/2026  M54 mph          Jackson            SD   Dept of Highways

&&

CALDERON

Local storm report, Jun 9, 5:07 PM MST, 8 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
607 PM MDT Tue Jun 09 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0555 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     9 SW Batesland          43.05N 102.22W
06/09/2026  M51 mph          Oglala Lakota      SD   Dept of Highways

0559 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 10 WNW Savageton        43.92N 105.98W
06/09/2026  M52 mph          Campbell           WY   Mesonet

&&

CALDERON

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Haakon

When: June 9, 5:15 PM MST
Where: Haakon County, 9.63 mi NNE of (Php)philip Arpt
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.180, -101.530

SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bennett

When: June 9, 5:30 PM MST
Where: Bennett County, 4.09 mi ENE of Martin Muni Arpt
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.200, -101.650

SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bennett

When: June 9, 5:35 PM MST
Where: Bennett County, 4.09 mi ENE of Martin Muni Arpt
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.200, -101.650

SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bennett

When: June 9, 5:41 PM MST
Where: Bennett County, 4.09 mi ENE of Martin Muni Arpt
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.200, -101.650

SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mellette

When: June 9, 7:44 PM CST
Where: Mellette County, 1.38 mi N of White River
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.590, -100.750

Estimated wind gust report at this location.

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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, June 2026

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: 1349032, 1349033, 1349034, 1349035, 1349036.