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Mellette County, SD hail & severe wind history
137 storm reports on file for Mellette County between 2010-04-13 and 2026-06-29 — 63 hail and 74 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 8.1 reports a year, and Aug is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 29, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 3.6 mi SSE of White River.
- Hail was reported on 39 days since 2010 — about 2.4 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 4.5" (softball) on Aug 26, 2020.
- Mellette County has more hail reports than 32% of the 66 South Dakota counties we cover.
Search every Mellette 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 Mellette County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Mellette County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-06-24 | 6 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2020-08-26 | 5 | 4.5" (softball) | — |
| 2011-08-17 | 5 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2020-06-07 | 5 | 1" (quarter) | 60 mph |
| 2019-08-17 | 4 | 2" (hen egg) | 60 mph |
| 2019-08-09 | 4 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 70 mph |
| 2018-08-23 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | 60 mph |
| 2018-07-22 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | 60 mph |
| 2010-05-24 | 4 | — | 70 mph |
| 2024-07-29 | 3 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 68 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-26 | 2.5" tennis ball | 5 mi ESE of Norris | No narrative filed |
| 2020-08-26 | 4.5" softball | 6 mi E of Norris | Very large hail broke the windshield of a law enforcement vehicle. |
| 2019-08-17 | 2" hen egg | 4 mi NE of Cedar Butte | No narrative filed |
| 2013-07-30 | 2.5" tennis ball | 6.66 mi N of Norris | No narrative filed |
| 2011-08-17 | 2.75" baseball | 15 mi N of Cedar Butte | Large hail caused significant damage to the roof and windows of a house and vehicles. |
When does hail hit Mellette County?
Across 16 years of records, August produced the most reports (45), 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 | 3 | 2.2% |
| May | 9 | 6.6% |
| June | 39 | 28.5% |
| July | 32 | 23.4% |
| August | 45 | 32.8% |
| September | 7 | 5.1% |
| October | 2 | 1.5% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Mellette County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, SD | 429 | 4.5" |
| Lyman County, SD | 334 | 8" |
| Todd County, SD | 308 | 4.5" |
| Tripp County, SD | 263 | 2.75" |
| Bennett County, SD | 194 | 4.25" |
| Jones County, SD | 166 | 2.5" |
See all 66 South Dakota counties →
Common questions about hail in Mellette County
- How often does it hail in Mellette County?
- Hail was reported on 39 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 2.4 days a year, with August the busiest month for storm reports. 58 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 46095). 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.