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Minnehaha County, SD hail & severe wind history
351 storm reports on file for Minnehaha County between 2010-04-24 and 2026-06-28 — 174 hail and 177 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 20.6 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: May 31, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 2.86 mi ENE of Pumpkin Center.
- Hail was reported on 55 days since 2010 — about 3.2 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 3.5" (teacup) on Aug 5, 2021.
- Minnehaha County has more hail reports than 85% of the 66 South Dakota counties we cover.
Search every Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Minnehaha County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-30 | 25 | 2" (hen egg) | 90 mph |
| 2014-06-16 | 20 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 96 mph |
| 2022-05-29 | 15 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | — |
| 2021-08-05 | 14 | 3.5" (teacup) | 75 mph |
| 2022-05-12 | 12 | — | 90 mph |
| 2018-08-28 | 11 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2010-06-26 | 11 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 70 mph |
| 2022-06-20 | 11 | 1" (quarter) | 82 mph |
| 2017-06-13 | 10 | 1" (quarter) | 75 mph |
| 2013-08-31 | 9 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-30 | 2" hen egg | 1.22 mi SW of South Sioux Falls | No narrative filed |
| 2022-05-29 | 2" hen egg | 3.01 mi W of South Sioux Falls | No narrative filed |
| 2022-05-29 | 2.25" hen egg | 3.45 mi S of Ellis | No narrative filed |
| 2022-05-29 | 2" hen egg | 2.81 mi S of Ellis | No narrative filed |
| 2022-05-29 | 2" hen egg | 1.47 mi SSW of West Sioux Falls | No narrative filed |
| 2022-05-29 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.71 mi NE of Sioux Falls | No narrative filed |
| 2021-08-05 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.22 mi SE of Renner | No narrative filed |
| 2021-08-05 | 3.5" teacup | 2.3 mi SSE of Renner | Large hail produced significant roof damage along a path from south of Dell Rapids to Renner to near Brandon. The most significant damage occurred near Renner where 2 to 3.5 inch hail was reported. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the U… |
When does hail hit Minnehaha County?
Across 17 years of records, June produced the most reports (100), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 1 | 0.3% |
| April | 15 | 4.3% |
| May | 88 | 25.1% |
| June | 100 | 28.5% |
| July | 57 | 16.2% |
| August | 70 | 19.9% |
| September | 20 | 5.7% |
| October | 0 | 0.0% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Minnehaha County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, SD | 173 | 1.75" |
| McCook County, SD | 124 | 2.75" |
| Turner County, SD | 119 | 1.75" |
| Lyon County, IA | 117 | 4" |
| Lake County, SD | 116 | 2" |
| Moody County, SD | 91 | 2" |
See all 66 South Dakota counties →
Common questions about hail in Minnehaha County
- How often does it hail in Minnehaha County?
- Hail was reported on 55 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.2 days a year, with June the busiest month for storm reports. 125 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 46099). 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.