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Davison County, SD hail & severe wind history
134 storm reports on file for Davison County between 2010-05-24 and 2026-06-09 — 56 hail and 78 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 7.9 reports a year, and Jul is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jul 30, 2024 — 1" (quarter), 2.88 mi NE of Mt Vernon.
- Hail was reported on 27 days since 2010 — about 1.6 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2.5" (tennis ball) on May 5, 2012.
- Davison County has more hail reports than 26% of the 66 South Dakota counties we cover.
Search every Davison County report
Check a single date first, or filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the larger stones (1", quarter size, is the National Weather Service severe threshold).
Loading Davison County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Davison County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-06-09 | 8 | — | 90 mph |
| 2023-07-25 | 7 | — | 81 mph |
| 2012-05-05 | 6 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 78 mph |
| 2017-06-13 | 6 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2015-04-24 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2022-05-29 | 5 | 0.75" (penny) | 70 mph |
| 2011-06-13 | 4 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2010-07-10 | 4 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 64 mph |
| 2017-07-11 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2015-06-27 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | 70 mph |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-05-05 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.07 mi N of Betts | Large hail caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles and siding. |
| 2012-05-05 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.65 mi WNW of Mitchell | Large hail caused widespread damage to vehicles, buildings, and structures in and near Mitchell. In addition to dented vehicles and broken windows, the hail damaged the roofs and siding of homes and businesses. Two of the highest individual damage amounts included $175,000 to the Corn Palace, the roof of which needed… |
When does hail hit Davison County?
Across 17 years of records, July produced the most reports (44), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 0 | 0.0% |
| April | 7 | 5.2% |
| May | 23 | 17.2% |
| June | 36 | 26.9% |
| July | 44 | 32.8% |
| August | 20 | 14.9% |
| September | 4 | 3.0% |
| October | 0 | 0.0% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Davison County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson County, SD | 168 | 3" |
| Aurora County, SD | 147 | 2.5" |
| Douglas County, SD | 102 | 2.75" |
| Sanborn County, SD | 62 | 1.75" |
| Hanson County, SD | 54 | 2.75" |
See all 66 South Dakota counties →
Common questions about hail in Davison County
- How often does it hail in Davison County?
- Hail was reported on 27 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 1.6 days a year, with July the busiest month for storm reports. 37 reports were quarter size (1") or larger.
- Does a report here mean hail hit my street?
- Not necessarily. Each report is one observation tied to a nearby landmark, and a county can be large. Storms also go unreported where few people live. Use the date check above to see what was reported nearby, and treat it as a starting point.
- How big is a 1.75" hailstone?
- Forecasters describe hail by everyday objects: 1" is a quarter, 1.75" a golf ball, 2.75" a baseball. The sizes in these reports are estimates made by the person reporting, not lab measurements.
- Where do I get the official record?
- All reports here come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which you can search directly. For anything formal, use NOAA’s own records rather than this page.
Look up another place
About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 46035). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.