Hail in McPherson County, South Dakota

Hail in McPherson County, South Dakota: 196 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #640 nationally and #34 statewide for this hazard.

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

The busiest decade for hail in McPherson County is the 2000s, when 80 of the county's 196 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 McPherson County archive, hail makes up 50.8% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #640 for this hazard and #34 within South Dakota, putting it in the 79.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.

Jul is the peak month for hail in McPherson County with 63 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 135

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

196 hail events are recorded in McPherson County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.

What is the strongest hail recorded in McPherson County?

The strongest hail on record in McPherson County measured 4.5.

Where does the hail data for McPherson 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.