HailHistoryHail by county › South Dakota

South Dakota · 66 counties

Hail history in South Dakota

South Dakota has 16,830 recorded hail events in the NOAA Storm Events Database since 1950 — 11,392 of them 1″ or larger. The largest on record: 8.0″ (grapefruit) in Lyman County on July 23, 2010.

Recorded events 16,830 since 1950
1″ or larger 11,392 NWS severe threshold
Largest recorded 8.0 grapefruit · Lyman County
Peak month Jun most recorded events

When it hails in South Dakota

Jan 5 Feb 76 Mar 518 Apr 2,296 May 4,953 Jun 4,751 Jul 3,286 Aug 805 Sep 124 Oct 15 Nov 1 Dec

All recorded South Dakota events by month, 1950–present · data through April 2026.

Every South Dakota county, ranked by recorded hail

Recorded hail events per county · NOAA Storm Events Database · through April 2026
County Events ≥1″ Largest Most recent
Pennington County 1,614 1,172 4.5″ 2025
Meade County 871 635 4.5″ 2025
Custer County 682 517 6.0″ 2025
Lawrence County 533 378 4.5″ 2025
Minnehaha County 494 271 4.5″ 2026
Brown County 437 299 4.5″ 2025
Fall River County 376 280 4.5″ 2025
Harding County 357 267 4.25″ 2025
Perkins County 337 258 4.0″ 2025
Oglala Lakota County 326 245 4.25″ 2025
Hand County 321 213 4.0″ 2024
Butte County 310 242 6.0″ 2025
Corson County 310 196 3.0″ 2025
Jackson County 292 205 4.5″ 2025
Charles Mix County 290 183 6.88″ 2025
Edmunds County 289 185 4.5″ 2025
Beadle County 286 176 3.0″ 2025
Tripp County 282 195 4.5″ 2025
Dewey County 263 186 4.0″ 2025
Spink County 261 163 4.0″ 2025
Yankton County 252 144 2.75″ 2025
Todd County 251 177 4.5″ 2025
Gregory County 246 153 3.0″ 2025
Lyman County 234 172 8.0″ 2025
Clark County 233 138 4.5″ 2025
Bon Homme County 226 127 5.0″ 2025
Codington County 224 147 3.75″ 2025
Haakon County 222 151 3.0″ 2025
Bennett County 221 164 4.25″ 2025
Hughes County 210 153 4.5″ 2025
Day County 207 126 4.0″ 2025
Lincoln County 201 133 2.75″ 2026
Ziebach County 200 147 3.0″ 2024
McPherson County 196 127 4.5″ 2025
Turner County 194 111 5.0″ 2026
Faulk County 193 128 5.0″ 2025
Hamlin County 192 99 2.75″ 2025
Hutchinson County 189 127 4.0″ 2026
McCook County 189 134 4.5″ 2025
Kingsbury County 186 111 4.5″ 2025
Stanley County 183 133 2.75″ 2025
Brule County 182 130 3.5″ 2025
Walworth County 177 134 3.0″ 2025
Clay County 174 115 4.5″ 2025
Davison County 166 98 4.0″ 2024
Brookings County 163 97 4.5″ 2025
Mellette County 162 110 4.5″ 2025
Marshall County 161 109 4.0″ 2025
Union County 158 88 3.0″ 2025
Aurora County 152 94 4.25″ 2025
Lake County 150 92 4.0″ 2024
Sully County 146 96 4.25″ 2024
Hyde County 143 98 4.5″ 2025
Campbell County 137 86 5.0″ 2025
Jones County 136 104 3.0″ 2026
Potter County 134 78 3.0″ 2025
Roberts County 132 84 4.0″ 2025
Sanborn County 129 88 5.0″ 2025
Grant County 128 83 2.75″ 2025
Jerauld County 121 85 3.0″ 2025
Moody County 121 61 2.75″ 2023
Miner County 110 54 3.0″ 2025
Deuel County 99 74 3.0″ 2025
Douglas County 97 67 4.25″ 2025
Hanson County 90 49 3.0″ 2023
Buffalo County 82 50 4.0″ 2025
Read the record honestly: Storm Events contains what was reported to the National Weather Service. Populated counties report more; rural counties under-report. County-to-county comparisons say as much about reporting as about weather.

Questions about hail in South Dakota

How often does it hail in South Dakota?

The NOAA Storm Events Database records 16,830 hail events for South Dakota since 1950, 11,392 of them 1″ (quarter size) or larger. Recorded frequency varies sharply by county — the table on this page ranks all 66.

What is the largest hail ever recorded in South Dakota?

8.0″ (grapefruit), recorded in Lyman County on July 23, 2010. See it at true size on the actual-size hail chart.

When is hail season in South Dakota?

Recorded events peak in June. The by-month chart on this page shows the full seasonal shape — and each county page carries its own, since timing shifts across the state.

How do I check hail history for my address in South Dakota?

Storm Events records events at the county level, so pick your county below or use the ZIP lookup. For "did it hail on this date" claim questions, the date lookup searches every recorded South Dakota event.

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, public domain. Each county page shows the full event timeline, month profile, and storm-report narratives.