871
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
Hail in Meade County, South Dakota: 871 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #16 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Meade County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Meade County is the 2000s, when 281 of the county's 871 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 Meade County archive, hail makes up 55.0% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #16 for this hazard and #2 within South Dakota, putting it in the 99.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for hail in Meade County with 312 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 1986 | 3 | 0 | 20 | $0 | |
| May 21, 1999 | TILFORD | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 1998 | HOWES | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2025 | STURGIS MUNI ARPT | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2025 | MUD BUTTE | 0.75 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2025 | MUD BUTTE | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | HEREFORD | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | BLACK HAWK | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | BLACK HAWK | 0.75 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | PIEDMONT | 0.75 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2025 | PIEDMONT | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2025 | ELLSWORTH AFB | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2025 | ELLSWORTH AFB | 1.25 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Meade County
- Thunderstorm Wind 603
- Tornado 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning injured a 31-year-old man at an outdoor concert near Sturgis. Strong winds associated with the thunderstorms blew away vendors' canopies and signs. Hail up to golfball-size damaged the paint job on several motorcycles west of Sturgis. Heavy rains caused ankle-deep water in some areas. In Sturgis, lightning hit a tree which fell on a car.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Meade County, South Dakota?
871 hail events are recorded in Meade County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Meade County?
The strongest hail on record in Meade County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Meade 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 Meade County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/meade-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.