163
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.9M
Property damage
Hail in Brookings County, South Dakota: 163 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #836 nationally and #46 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Brookings County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Brookings County is the 2000s, when 75 of the county's 163 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 Brookings County archive, hail makes up 32.0% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #836 for this hazard and #46 within South Dakota, putting it in the 73.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for hail in Brookings County with 48 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2025 | MEDARY | 0.75 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2025 | MEDARY | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2025 | BRUCE | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | BRUCE | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 29, 2023 | ELKTON | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2023 | WHITE | 1.25 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2023 | BRUCE | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2023 | SINAI | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2023 | SINAI | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | BROOKINGS | 1.5 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Brookings County
- Thunderstorm Wind 178
- Flood 97
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large hail falling over an area 20 miles long and almost 5 miles wide caused property and crop damage. The hail damaged siding and windows of homes as well as vehicles. An estimated 60,000 acres of crops were destroyed or damaged. Hail was discovered piled up 6 inches deep in some fields 6 hours after the storm. The affected area included the city of Brookings, where some of the largest hail was reported.
Abundant hail up to nickel-sized fell, which was enough to fill a five gallon bucket at the end of a downspout. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Brookings County, South Dakota?
163 hail events are recorded in Brookings County between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Brookings County?
The strongest hail on record in Brookings County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Brookings 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 Brookings County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/brookings-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.