Eureka, SD Hail Storm – July 2026

A severe hail storm moved through the Eureka, SD area on July 7, 2026, producing stones up to 2.76 inches and a series of radar-detected hail signatures and NWS warnings during the evening and overnight hours.

What Happened

Storm development began in the early evening and produced a chain of 12 NWS alerts spanning 6:02 PM CDT on July 7 through 12:27 AM CDT on July 8. The first NWS warning at 6:02 PM CDT reported 1.00-inch hail under a warning-only designation. Dual-polarization radar detected increasing hail core intensity thereafter, with radar-derived hail detections around 1.09 inches at 6:27 PM CDT and 1.65 inches at 7:17 PM CDT.

By the late evening, the system produced a mix of NWS warning-only and radar-detected hail points. Alerts at 8:04 PM CDT and 8:10 PM CDT were issued as warning-only for sub-inch hail. Radar again showed larger returns later in the period, including detections near 1.41 inches at 8:54 PM CDT, 1.13 inches at 9:12 PM CDT, and 1.71 inches at 9:41 PM CDT. The final radar-derived detection in the public alert stream occurred at 12:27 AM CDT on July 8 and measured 1.78 inches.

Field observers provided surface confirmation in the region. A spotter reported quarter-sized hail in Selby at 8:52 PM CDT, a report marked spotter-verified by the local storm report. That observation aligns with the mix of warning-only and radar-detected signatures that moved through Potter and surrounding counties during the evening.

Damage Assessment

Surface impact reports and radar echoes indicate localized hail impacts concentrated along the storm‘s evening path. The spotter-verified quarter-inch report in Selby at 8:52 PM CDT documents measurable surface hail within the warning corridor. Radar-detected cores later in the night suggest areas downtrack from Selby experienced larger hail diameters and higher fall rates, increasing the likelihood of denting to soft metals, shingle bruising, and broken vegetation where the larger cores crossed populated parcels.

Public alerts show repeated warning polygons issued between 6:02 PM and 10:22 PM CDT covering multiple small towns and rural routes near Eureka. Damage reports remain limited in number; the Selby spotter observation is the only ground-truth submission in the official local storm reports. Where radar-derived hail detections and warning polygons overlap private property, expect mixed damage outcomes: isolated heavy-impact points with more widespread minor surface accumulation where hail remained sub-inch.

On paved surfaces and exposed vehicle panels within the radar-hit zones, look for circular dents and surface pitting. On roofing, inspect for granular loss, shingle edge impact marks, and bruising that may not lift shingles immediately but will show as indented areas under close inspection. Vegetation reports are sparse; check windward tree surfaces and crops for leaf shredding or defoliation along the stronger radar cores.