Hamill, SD Hail Storm – July 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Hamill, SD, on July 28, 2025, with verified stones up to 2.75 inches and a long run of radar-detected hail signals through late afternoon and early evening. The first warning in the cluster came at 3:33 PM CDT with 1.75-inch hail, then 2.5-inch hail was detected at 3:43 PM CDT as the storm intensified.

By mid- to late afternoon, the warning sequence tightened. Alerts at 4:15 PM CDT and 4:34 PM CDT carried 2-inch and 2.5-inch hail estimates, followed by another 2.5-inch detection at 4:39 PM CDT. The peak came at 5:01 PM CDT, when dual-polarization radar and spotter data supported a 2.75-inch hail signal over the Hamill area.

The storm stayed active after that peak. Additional warnings followed at 5:19 PM CDT, 5:22 PM CDT, 5:35 PM CDT, 5:40 PM CDT, and 5:46 PM CDT, with hail estimates ranging from 1.5 inches to 2 inches. Alerts continued into early evening at 6:10 PM CDT, 6:12 PM CDT, and 6:22 PM CDT, all holding near the 2-inch mark.

Field reports lined up with the radar sequence. At 4:21 PM CDT, a spotter report from mPING confirmed golf ball hail at 1.75 inches. At 6:26 PM CDT, a later spotter entry estimated 2.5-inch hail from radar timing. A tornado path report at 5:38 PM CDT placed the start of the path 7 miles to the south-southeast, and a funnel cloud report at 6:46 PM CDT noted development over White Lake.

Late in the event, hail detections eased but did not stop. Radar and spotter-verified alerts still showed 1.75-inch hail at 6:48 PM CDT and 6:57 PM CDT, then dual-polarization detections of 1.25-inch hail at 7:08 PM CDT and 1.5-inch hail at 7:24 PM CDT. The final warning in the series came at 7:55 PM CDT with 1-inch hail.

Damage Assessment

The field picture shows more than hail alone. A 6:01 PM CDT report described major damage to a single-family residence, with two nearby outbuildings destroyed. That report came from the same storm line that produced the strongest hail signals in the Hamill area.

The storm also produced other rotating or tornado-related reports nearby. The 5:38 PM CDT note marking the start of a tornado path and the 6:46 PM CDT funnel cloud report over White Lake show a broader severe weather episode, not a single isolated hail core. The hail reports continued through that same period, which points to a storm complex with multiple hazards moving through the area in sequence.

The spotter-verified hail observations provide the clearest surface confirmation. Golf ball hail was reported at 4:21 PM CDT, and the later 2.5-inch estimate at 6:26 PM CDT matched the upper end of the warning data. The radar detections and ground reports stayed close enough in time to support a coherent hail swath through the Hamill corridor.

Damage reports were limited in number, but the ones on record were specific. The single-family home and outbuildings were not generic hail impacts. They were tied to one storm episode and to a narrow window of late-afternoon activity. The repeated large-hail alerts suggest roof, siding, window, and accessory-structure exposure across the path.