Hot Springs, SD Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Hot Springs, SD late on June 27, 2026, producing 2.83-inch stones and a sustained series of radar-detected hail cores. The event generated 62 NWS alerts spanning the evening into the following morning.

What Happened

The first radar-detected hail signature appeared at 5:46 PM CDT on June 27, followed by ongoing hail alerts through 8:44 AM CDT on June 28. Dual-polarization radar logged multiple intense cores between early evening and pre-dawn, with frequent detections in the 1.0–2.5-inch range. Several alerts were issued as NWS warning only with no concurrent radar hail size reported; others were radar-detected or spotter-verified.

Observers on the ground reported multiple 1.75-inch measurements. Social media uploads at 6:17 PM CDT included repeated spotter-verified 1.75-inch observations. A calibrated measurement along US-385 at 7:02 PM CDT documented a 1.75-inch stone. Radar returns clustered through the 7:00–11:00 PM CDT window, producing several >1.9-inch detections at 6:57 PM CDT, 9:12–9:56 PM CDT, and again after midnight. The pattern shows a series of hail-producing cells moving across the Hot Springs metro and adjacent US-385 corridor in the late afternoon and early evening.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and posted images show intact hail samples and localized collection points rather than widespread structural collapse. Multiple spotters recorded 1.75-inch stones in town and along US-385; one observer measured with calipers at 7:02 PM CDT. Those reports were accompanied by timestamped photos on social platforms that indicate surface impacts to lawn and pavement in the immediate vicinity of the observations.

Radar detections indicate concentrated, higher-intensity cores passed near Hot Springs at several times after sunset. Local NWS warning-only alerts during and after those cores suggest areas that received hail signatures but lacked on-the-ground confirmation in the immediate alert text. No NWS Local Storm Report in the supplied field reports documented torn roofing or catastrophic building failures tied to these spotter submissions. Vehicle-level and cosmetic roof damage are the primary risk implied by the measured stones and imagery from social posts in the Hot Springs metro and along US-385.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect roofs and exposed equipment that were outdoors during late afternoon and early evening on June 27. Prioritize properties along US-385 and within the Hot Springs city boundary where spotters submitted 1.75-inch measurements at 6:17 PM CDT and 7:02 PM CDT. Look first at vulnerable roofing features — ridge caps, flashing, and edges — and at sheet-metal and HVAC units that bear direct hail exposure.

Document all findings with date- and time-stamped photos and include a ruler or caliper in close-up images to capture dent size and pattern. For vehicle fleets and outdoor signage, photograph dent clusters on horizontal surfaces and compare them to the spotter-verified 1.75-inch samples. Keep inspection logs that map damage locations against the reported times of peak radar cores to support claim timeline reconstruction.

Hot Springs, SD Hail Storm – June 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 62

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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