186
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
Hail in Kingsbury County, South Dakota: 186 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #698 nationally and #40 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Kingsbury County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Kingsbury County is the 2000s, when 72 of the county's 186 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Kingsbury County archive, hail makes up 48.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #698 for this hazard and #40 within South Dakota, putting it in the 77.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for hail in Kingsbury County with 56 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2002 | LAKE PRESTON | 2.75 | 0 | 2 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2025 | ESMOND | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2025 | LAKE PRESTON ARPT | 0.88 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2025 | ARLINGTON | 0.88 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2025 | LAKE PRESTON ARPT | 0.88 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2025 | DE SMET | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2024 | BADGER | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2023 | LAKE PRESTON ARPT | 1.5 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2023 | DE SMET | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2023 | DE SMET | 0.75 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2023 | DE SMET | 0.75 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Kingsbury County
- Thunderstorm Wind 125
- Tornado 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large hail caused extenseive broken windows to both buildings and vehicles, dented many vehicles, and damaged roofs and sidings of homes. Crop damage was also reported, but the amount of the damage could not be determined.
Large hail broke windows, and heavily damaged vehicles and boats. Holes were punched by the hail in some of the boats. Two boaters on Lake Thompson were injured by the hail. One was taken to the hospital with a head injury, and the other suffered several welts on the back from hailstone hits. Crop damage also occurred, but the amount of crop damage was not known.
Large hail broke numerous windows in buildings and vehicles in Oldham and rural areas nearby, and caused other damage to vehicles. The hail also caused or along with severe winds contributed to widespread crop damage in the area, with some crops totally destroyed. The amount of crop damage, as well as the part of the crop damage due to hail, could not be determined. However, thousands of acres were believed to be affected.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Kingsbury County, South Dakota?
186 hail events are recorded in Kingsbury County between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Kingsbury County?
The strongest hail on record in Kingsbury County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Kingsbury County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Hail in Kingsbury County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/kingsbury-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.