South Dakota Storm Data: Hail & Wind History Since 2010
Deduplicated storm activity for South Dakota, fused from NWS warnings, storm reports, official records, and FEMA declarations.
Latest South Dakota hail and wind storms
- Last reported hail in South Dakota (0.75 in.+, screening): October 9, 2026 — 1.50 in. reported at Alcester (Union County), NWS Local Storm Report.
- 2026 so far in South Dakota: 57 hail days and 134 wind days statewide (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust | City pages hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 18, 2026 | — | 51 mph measured | — |
| October 17, 2026 | — | 60 mph measured | — |
| October 16, 2026 | — | 62 mph measured | Rapid City |
| October 15, 2026 | — | 70 mph reported | Rapid City, Aberdeen |
| October 10, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured | Sioux Falls |
| October 9, 2026 | 1.50 in. reported | — | — |
| October 8, 2026 | 1.50 in. reported | — | — |
| September 28, 2026 | 1.00 in. reported | 77 mph reported | — |
| September 27, 2026 | — | 66 mph reported | — |
| September 14, 2026 | — | 61 mph reported | Rapid City |
Cities hit this week
City pages with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds (hail 0.75 in.+, wind 45 mph+) within 25 miles in the last 7 days, freshest first.
- Rapid City hail & wind — Oct 16, 2026 · 54 mph gust reported
- Aberdeen hail & wind — Oct 15, 2026 · 55 mph gust measured
South Dakota storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 7,455 deduplicated storm events (wind, hail, tornado, and flood; NWS warning products included) in South Dakota in the 12 months ending October 21, 2026.
- Storm activity touched 66 of 66 South Dakota counties over that period.
- The most impacted county in South Dakota was Pennington, with 571 events.
- The busiest day by event count in South Dakota was March 12, 2026, with 357 events.
South Dakota storm activity at a glance (last 12 months)
StormAuditor's consolidated public record currently shows 7,455 storm events impacting 66 of South Dakota's 66 counties in the trailing 12 months: 5,845 wind events, 1,437 hail events, 69 tornado events, 104 flood events. Every count includes NWS warnings as well as observed reports, so tornado events mean tornado warnings and reports, not confirmed tornadoes.
Events are fused from National Weather Service warnings and Special Weather Statements, observed Local Storm Reports, official NCEI storm records, and FEMA disaster declarations, then consolidated into a single event table under the published methodology.
Wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, so these counts measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year. State totals also count NWS Special Weather Statements (radar-indicated hail or gusts below warning level); city pages leave those out.
Busiest days in South Dakota by event count
Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.
- March 12, 2026 — 357 events incl. warnings (wind)
- December 18, 2025 — 324 events incl. warnings (wind)
- January 21, 2026 — 247 events incl. warnings (wind)
- January 16, 2026 — 228 events incl. warnings (wind)
- December 9, 2025 — 216 events incl. warnings (wind)
Most impacted counties
Events of every type for each county — wind, hail, tornado and flood, NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements included. City pages count wind and hail events only, so a county number on a city page is never higher than the number here.
- Pennington — 571 events
- Meade — 437 events
- Harding — 367 events
- Fall River — 299 events
- Butte — 266 events
- Custer — 258 events
- Perkins — 239 events
- Oglala Lakota — 225 events
Additional activity recorded under other NWS area names (forecast zones, tribal lands, and former census areas): Meade Co Plains (19) · Pennington Co Plains (12) · Rapid City (10) · Custer Co Plains (8).
How these numbers are counted
The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.
- Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report anywhere in South Dakota showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The "City pages hit" column and each city's last reported hail apply the same rule within 25 miles of the city. The statewide columns count reports inside South Dakota only. City pages count reports within 25 miles of each city, which can reach into a neighboring state; those values name the other state, so a border city's value for a day can be higher than the South Dakota value.
- Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
- Events (12-month counts): Events count the South Dakota storm log: NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements (a lower-level NWS alert), storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts, NCEI entries and FEMA disaster declarations, for each county affected, floods included. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for each type (wind, hail, tornado, flood). A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements count once per county per day, and NCEI entries and FEMA declarations once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. The most impacted counties list uses this count. City pages count only wind and hail within 25 miles and leave out floods and Special Weather Statements, so city counts do not add up to the state total, and a city page's county count is a wind-and-hail count that is never higher than the same county's number here.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) in South Dakota from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
- Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.
Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.
South Dakota hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 20, 2025. Storms from October 21, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
The National Centers for Environmental Information logged 1,093 storm days in South Dakota in this period — 17,612 NCEI Storm Events entries in all. Hail (8,571 reports) and thunderstorm wind (8,619) appear in nearly equal numbers.
Hail and wind both peak in July, the month with 30% of the hail reports. December through February accounts for 1 storm day.
Storm days ranged from 57 in 2021 and 2022 to 78 in 2023. Across 2022–2024, South Dakota averaged 66 storm days a year, below the 15-year average of 68.
The largest hail in these records for South Dakota was 8.00 in. (larger than softball size), reported on July 23, 2010 in Lyman County. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 16 different years of this record, the latest being 2025 through Oct. 20. Measured thunderstorm gusts topped out at 122 mph (Stanley County, June 22, 2015). NCEI also lists 422 tornado entries in South Dakota — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
- Average: 68 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- June and July: 58% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 934 in 2023
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in every full year, 2010–2024
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 542 | 513 | 42 | 73 | 8.00 in. | 98 mph |
| 2011 | 548 | 444 | 19 | 71 | 4.25 in. | 94 mph |
| 2012 | 485 | 300 | 11 | 72 | 4.25 in. | 91 mph |
| 2013 | 574 | 347 | 14 | 70 | 4.25 in. | 91 mph |
| 2014 | 377 | 199 | 30 | 69 | 4.25 in. | 96 mph |
| 2015 | 523 | 414 | 27 | 66 | 6.00 in. | 122 mph |
| 2016 | 486 | 516 | 13 | 75 | 3.00 in. | 92 mph |
| 2017 | 412 | 370 | 15 | 61 | 3.00 in. | 100 mph |
| 2018 | 460 | 393 | 19 | 73 | 4.50 in. | 100 mph |
| 2019 | 459 | 368 | 26 | 69 | 3.00 in. | 115 mph |
| 2020 | 571 | 649 | 23 | 68 | 4.50 in. | 104 mph |
| 2021 | 654 | 760 | 42 | 57 | 4.50 in. | 112 mph |
| 2022 | 900 | 1,530 | 78 | 57 | 4.50 in. | 120 mph |
| 2023 | 934 | 566 | 36 | 78 | 4.50 in. | 100 mph |
| 2024 | 317 | 501 | 7 | 62 | 4.25 in. | 109 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 20 | 329 | 749 | 20 | 72 | 4.50 in. | 99 mph |
Counties with the most NCEI storm reports, 2010–Oct. 2025
| County | All entries | Hail | Thunderstorm wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County | 1,619 | 1,147 | 464 |
| Meade County | 957 | 527 | 421 |
| Custer County | 672 | 485 | 180 |
| Jackson County | 497 | 146 | 350 |
| Harding County | 497 | 220 | 270 |
| Perkins County | 473 | 215 | 244 |
| Butte County | 470 | 209 | 257 |
| Brown County | 466 | 207 | 247 |
| Minnehaha County | 460 | 210 | 240 |
| Fall River County | 458 | 253 | 203 |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/sd.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).
South Dakota storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
What is the largest hail reported in South Dakota, 2010–Oct. 2025?
8.00 in., larger than softball size, reported on July 23, 2010 in Lyman County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 16 years of this record in all, most recently 2023, 2024 and 2025 through Oct. 20.
What was South Dakota's most active storm year, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2023, with 78 storm days (934 hail reports, 566 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 68 storm days.
How often does South Dakota get hail?
NCEI's records average 549 hail reports a year here over 2010–2024, alongside 525 thunderstorm wind reports. Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported in every one of those years.
When is hail season in South Dakota?
July has the most hail reports (2,547, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by June (2,432) and August (1,676).
How strong were measured thunderstorm winds in South Dakota, 2010–Oct. 2025?
122 mph, measured on June 22, 2015 in Stanley County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.
Storm professionals: restoration and exterior contractors, public adjusters, and crews and teams on one Organization plan work from this same public record — see StormAuditor for professionals.
Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.
Download the South Dakota dataset (free)
The full consolidated South Dakota event list for the trailing 12 months — dates, counties, hazard types, severities, measured gusts and hail sizes, with coordinates; source records deduplicated, and each NWS warning product listed per affected county — downloads free and stays current with the live record: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/sd.json. Free to reuse under the data license; the JSON file carries a field dictionary and provenance notes.
Research a specific South Dakota address
Statewide counts tell you where activity concentrated; they do not tell you what happened at one property. For an individual address:
- Run the Free Report Snapshot — an instant YES/NO against StormAuditor's screening thresholds (wind ≥ 45 mph, hail ≥ 0.75 in., deliberately below the official NWS severe criteria).
- Use the Address Lookup for warnings, storm reports, and station observations at the address.
- Buy a full Weather Report for $2.99 covering every qualifying storm date at the address.
Browse day-by-day activity on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher) or compare states on the Storm Data hub.
All values are derived from public NOAA and NWS data under StormAuditor's published methodology (see Limitations). Data last refreshed October 21, 2026.
See where recent storms tracked on the statewide South Dakota hail map and wind map (the Hail and Wind Explorers, included with Pro+ and Organization plans), or check the county impact heatmap (free with an account).
South Dakota cities A–Z: last reported hail
- Aberdeen hail & wind history — last hail July 24, 2026 (2.00 in. reported)
- Rapid City hail & wind history — last hail August 23, 2026 (1.75 in. reported)
- Sioux Falls hail & wind history — last hail August 20, 2026 (1.75 in. reported)
Neighboring states: Iowa storm data · Minnesota storm data · Montana storm data · North Dakota storm data · Nebraska storm data · Wyoming storm data
Guides for reading this data
Storm-day records in South Dakota
The newest storm-date pages for South Dakota cities: a report or station gust within 25 miles of the city met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:
- Sioux Falls, SD — August 20, 2026 (hail 1.75 in., gusts 76 mph)
- Rapid City, SD — August 11, 2026 (hail 3.60 in.)
- Sioux Falls, SD — July 25, 2026 (gusts 92 mph)
- Aberdeen, SD — July 24, 2026 (hail 2.00 in., gusts 60 mph)
- Rapid City, SD — July 2, 2026 (hail 1.75 in., gusts 86 mph)
- Aberdeen, SD — June 29, 2026 (hail 1.00 in., gusts 88 mph)
- Aberdeen, SD — June 9, 2026 (gusts 78 mph)
- Rapid City, SD — January 16, 2026 (gusts 88 mph)
- Rapid City, SD — December 18, 2025 (gusts 101 mph)
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About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.