Sturgis, SD Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Sturgis, South Dakota on June 22–23, 2026, producing stones up to 4.08 inches and multiple radar-detected hail alerts. The event moved northeast overnight into mid-morning and produced spotter-verified surface impacts.

What Happened

The storm began in late afternoon and redeveloped multiple times into the overnight period. Dual-polarization radar first detected hail-producing cores in the Sturgis area during the early evening. Additional radar-detected rounds followed after midnight into the pre-dawn hours. The National Weather Service issued a series of warning-area alerts as the system moved northeast of Sturgis, including two warning-area messages near 11:00 PM and 11:06 PM that covered communities east of the city.

Radar detections resumed before first light and intensified into mid-morning. Radar-derived hail alerts showed increasing echo intensity before a late pre-dawn pulse that produced larger radar-indicated stones near the northeast edge of the metro. At 6:10 AM CDT a social media post described "quarter to ping pong sized" hail in the Sturgis vicinity; the same post was incorporated into the local storm report as a spotter-verified observation. Multiple radar-detected alerts bracketed that observation through the next hour, with additional radar returns outlining a northeastward-moving hail track through rural sectors outside the city.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and radar indicate surface impacts concentrated on the northeast corridor out of Sturgis. The spotter post at 6:10 AM CDT recorded quarter- to ping-pong-sized stones in a populated neighborhood north of town. Radar-mapped hail cores overlay that area and extend several miles northeast into less developed parcels, suggesting a continuous swath of surface strikes rather than isolated pockets.

No centralized log of structural losses was available in the immediate aftermath. Observed effects from the spotter submission included yard and vehicle exposure to stones in the 1 to 2 inch range. Radar-detected larger cores passed over the same northeast trajectory before weakening, which increases the likelihood of scattered, high-impact strikes on roofs, siding, and glass in that corridor. Property owners along Highway 79 north and east approaches to Sturgis should expect variable impact severity where radar cores intersect streets and rural lanes.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections along the northeast track from Sturgis into adjacent rural areas. Begin external assessments at properties reported by the morning spotter post and move outward along the radar-indicated swath. Document roof penetrations and granule loss with scaled photographs and notes on orientation of damage relative to roof slope. Check sunroofs, skylights, and vehicle glass first when arriving on site.

For triage, treat openings in the roof deck and visible shingle perforations as immediate fixes. Temporary tarps should be applied to exposed roof decks within 24 hours where active leaks are present. When replacing materials, note that radar and spotter evidence indicates a mixed exposure pattern — some structures along the track may show heavy localized damage while neighboring properties remain largely intact.