Porcupine, SD Hail Storm – September 2025

Porcupine, SD saw a concluded hail storm on 2025-09-22 with a peak confirmed hail size of 1.75 inches. The storm produced three radar-backed hail alerts across the evening.

What Happened

The first alert came at 5:56 PM CDT with 1.5-inch hail confidence from dual-polarization radar. A stronger alert followed at 6:37 PM CDT with 1.75-inch hail confidence. A later alert at 7:54 PM CDT showed 1.25-inch hail confidence as the storm cycle weakened and shifted.

The sequence places the heaviest hail in the early evening, with the highest verified size appearing in the middle of the event. The storm remained part of the same multi-zone hail report for Porcupine and the surrounding warning area through the final alert.

Radar confidence held through all three alerts. The largest hail size in the event reached 1.75 inches, with the other alerts holding at 1.5 inches and 1.25 inches.

Damage Assessment

Hail in the 1.25 to 1.75 inch range can leave visible impact marks on roofs, gutters, siding, window trim, and vehicles. Shingle bruising may not show from the ground. Metal vents, ridge caps, and soft roof accessories can also show strike marks after this size hail.

The 1.75-inch peak raises the likelihood of field findings on exterior surfaces in and near the warning area. Contractors should expect damage patterns to vary block by block as hail size changed during the storm cycle. A property with lighter hail at the start of the event may still show more limited exterior loss than a site hit during the 6:37 PM CDT peak.

In smaller rural pockets around Porcupine, wind direction and storm path can shift impact from one side of a structure to another. That can leave one elevation with heavier marks while another shows only scattered hits. Vehicles parked outdoors may show denting and glass stress if the largest stones reached the property footprint.

What Contractors Should Know

Start with roof slopes, roof edges, soft metals, and penetrations. Those surfaces often show the clearest signs of hail at this size. Check downspouts, window wraps, AC fins, skylight frames, and painted trim for fresh impact marks. Photograph each elevation before moving to the next one.

Use the alert sequence to narrow timing on field visits. The strongest radar-backed hail alert came at 6:37 PM CDT, so properties with damage consistent with larger stones should be reviewed against that part of the storm track first. Separate observations from the 1.5-inch and 1.25-inch periods so the claim file keeps the event chronology intact.

Roofing crews should document slope, pitch, and accessory impacts with close photos and wide shots. Siding and window inspections should focus on the windward side first, then the remaining elevations. If the site has multiple structures, inspect each one independently. Barns, sheds, and detached garages can show different impact levels than the primary residence.