Hail in Rapid City since 2016
The Storm Prediction Center logged 899 hail reports in Pennington and Meade counties from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026, on 178 different days. The largest was 4.50 inches, at 23 N Wall on June 12, 2022. The busiest day was July 10, 2020, with 24 reports.
Hail reports by year
2020 had the most reports (165). The 2026 count runs through September 27, 2026. Report counts rise and fall with how many people were watching and reporting, not only with how much hail fell.
Which months bring hail to Rapid City
July, June and August account for 84% of the reports.
How big the hail was
| Reported size | For scale, the NWS compares it to | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.74 in | quarter, half dollar, ping pong ball | 609 | 67.7% |
| 1.75 to 2.49 in | golf ball, hen egg | 209 | 23.2% |
| 2.50 to 3.99 in | tennis ball, baseball, teacup | 76 | 8.5% |
| 4.00 in and up | softball or larger | 5 | 0.6% |
The largest hail reported
| Date | Size | Place | NWS comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 8, 2020 5:10 pm MDT | 4.50 in | 1 N Pactola Resv, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
| August 26, 2021 6:05 pm MDT | 4.50 in | 4 SE Deerfield, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
| June 12, 2022 6:45 pm MDT | 4.50 in | 23 N Wall, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
| August 8, 2020 5:05 pm MDT | 4.00 in | 1 N Pactola Resv, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
| June 12, 2022 6:45 pm MDT | 4.00 in | 7 ESE Elm Springs, Meade Co. | HEAVY DAMAGE TO ROOFS AND MANY BROKEN WINDOWS. (UNR) |
| June 27, 2018 1:10 am MDT | 3.50 in | 5 NW Opal, Meade Co. | (UNR) |
| July 10, 2020 4:40 pm MDT | 3.25 in | 4 SW Dwtn Rapid City, Pennington Co. | 440 PM TO 453 (UNR) |
| July 10, 2020 4:50 pm MDT | 3.25 in | 4 W Dwtn Rapid City, Pennington Co. | SEVERAL WINDSHIELDS BROKEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (UNR) |
| July 30, 2023 2:16 am MDT | 3.25 in | 2 E Sheridan Lake, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
| July 30, 2023 2:16 pm MDT | 3.25 in | 2 E Sheridan Lake, Pennington Co. | (UNR) |
The days with the most hail reports
| Date | Reports | Largest | Counties with reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 10, 2020 | 24 | 3.25 in | Meade and Pennington |
| June 4, 2020 | 21 | 3.20 in | Meade and Pennington |
| August 11, 2026 | 21 | 3.00 in | Meade and Pennington |
| May 3, 2020 | 19 | 1.75 in | Meade and Pennington |
| July 6, 2020 | 19 | 2.75 in | Meade and Pennington |
| July 11, 2023 | 18 | 2.00 in | Meade and Pennington |
| June 24, 2024 | 18 | 3.00 in | Meade and Pennington |
| June 8, 2018 | 17 | 2.75 in | Meade and Pennington |
| May 23, 2020 | 17 | 1.75 in | Meade and Pennington |
| August 14, 2017 | 16 | 1.75 in | Meade and Pennington |
Storm dates in Rapid City with their own page
Every local date since January 1, 2021 with 5 or more spotter hail reports in the metro. Each page lists the reports and what radar recorded.
2026
- June 22, 2026 7 reports, up to 1.75 in
- July 2, 2026 10 reports, up to 1.75 in
- July 3, 2026 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
- August 11, 2026 21 reports, up to 3.00 in
- August 18, 2026 6 reports, up to 1.50 in
2025
- June 28, 2025 6 reports, up to 2.50 in
- July 19, 2025 6 reports, up to 1.00 in
- August 18, 2025 6 reports, up to 3.25 in
2024
- April 15, 2024 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
- June 1, 2024 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
- June 24, 2024 18 reports, up to 3.00 in
- June 25, 2024 9 reports, up to 2.00 in
- July 1, 2024 5 reports, up to 1.75 in
2023
- May 7, 2023 9 reports, up to 1.75 in
- May 29, 2023 9 reports, up to 1.25 in
- May 30, 2023 6 reports, up to 1.75 in
- June 27, 2023 12 reports, up to 1.75 in
- June 28, 2023 10 reports, up to 1.75 in
- July 3, 2023 13 reports, up to 2.75 in
- July 11, 2023 18 reports, up to 2.00 in
- July 30, 2023 13 reports, up to 3.25 in
- August 12, 2023 6 reports, up to 2.00 in
- September 4, 2023 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
- October 2, 2023 5 reports, up to 1.50 in
2022
- May 12, 2022 7 reports, up to 1.75 in
- June 7, 2022 6 reports, up to 1.75 in
- June 11, 2022 7 reports, up to 2.00 in
- June 12, 2022 14 reports, up to 4.50 in
- July 3, 2022 9 reports, up to 2.75 in
2021
- July 8, 2021 6 reports, up to 2.75 in
- July 16, 2021 7 reports, up to 2.25 in
- August 14, 2021 11 reports, up to 2.75 in
- August 26, 2021 8 reports, up to 4.50 in
- August 30, 2021 7 reports, up to 2.75 in
Check your own address in Rapid City
Enter the address and the date of the storm. The free check counts NOAA radar hail signatures within 1, 3 and 5 miles and finds the nearest spotter report.
Counts are Storm Prediction Center hail reports from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026 whose coordinates fall inside Pennington and Meade counties. The daily logs are preliminary, and a storm nobody reported is missing from them. Radar signatures, which do not depend on anyone watching, appear on each storm-date page and in the address report. How these pages are built.