Bonesteel, SD Hail Storm – August 2026

A severe hail storm is tracking through Bonesteel, SD on August 7, 2026, producing up to 3.54-inch hail and prompting 46 NWS alerts across the event.

What Happened

The storm initiated before sunrise and has continued through the evening, producing repeated radar-detected hail cores and intermittent spotter reports. The first NWS warning-only alert came at 2:22 AM CDT. Dual-polarization radar began showing stronger signatures by 4:39 AM CDT, with successive radar detections through mid-morning. A spotter-verified vehicle dent report arrived at 5:05 AM CDT, supporting an early surface-impact pulse.

Mid-morning activity persisted. A spotter submitted a photo at 10:56 AM CDT. Multiple quarter-size reports from crowd-sourced mPING entries and a trained spotter report in Blue Earth, MN were logged around late morning and midday. Radar returned stronger cores in the early afternoon, with radar-detected hail echoes and spotter-verified observations around 1:13 PM CDT and 1:42 PM CDT.

The storm has intensified again in the late afternoon and into early evening. Radar detected larger hail signatures at multiple times between 4:16 PM CDT and 7:38 PM CDT. NWS warning polygons were issued intermittently across the day to cover the evolving storm track. The system is continuing to produce hail swaths that are being tracked by radar and supplemented by spotter reports.

Damage Assessment

Field reports show vehicle dents reported at 5:05 AM CDT and photographic evidence submitted at 10:56 AM CDT. Multiple quarter-size reports were logged via mPING and trained spotters around mid-day. Two spotter-verified entries around 1:42 PM CDT list time estimates from radar and indicate continued surface impacts during the midday pulse.

The earliest surface damage report specifically mentions vehicle denting in the warning area near Bonesteel. Photo documentation from mid-morning corroborates local property impact in the same broader corridor. Trained spotter input from Blue Earth, MN at 11:42 AM CDT and other crowd-sourced quarter-size reports show the event affected multiple adjacent metros along the storm track. Radar-detected larger cores late in the day suggest the potential for additional localized damage where those cores crossed populated routes.

No statewide damage summary is available at this time. Damage reports are concentrated in the early morning and mid-morning time windows for this aggregate, with an uptick in radar-indicated hazard potential in the late afternoon through early evening.

What Contractors Should Know

Start initial assessments where field reports already document impacts. Prioritize vehicle dent inspections and photographed claims tied to the 5:05 AM CDT vehicle-dent report and the 10:56 AM CDT photo. Use time-stamped photos and the spotter timestamps listed here when logging claim intake. Expect a mix of quarter-size hail reports and larger impact points where late-afternoon radar cores crossed roadways and property clusters.

Bonesteel, SD Hail Storm – August 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 46

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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