Hail in Mellette County, South Dakota

Hail in Mellette County, South Dakota: 162 recorded events between 1971 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #845 nationally and #47 statewide for this hazard.

Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.

The busiest decade for hail in Mellette County is the 2000s, when 72 of the county's 162 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 Mellette County archive, hail makes up 53.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #845 for this hazard and #47 within South Dakota, putting it in the 72.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.

Aug is the peak month for hail in Mellette County with 49 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.

• Thunderstorm Wind 113

How many hail events are on record in Mellette County, South Dakota?

162 hail events are recorded in Mellette County between 1971 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.

What is the strongest hail recorded in Mellette County?

The strongest hail on record in Mellette County measured 4.5.

Where does the hail data for Mellette 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.