Hail size 1.25"
2 NE Rockerville Pennington County
“Behind Old MacDonalds Farm. Hail lightly covered the ground. Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
/ Storm field report · Pennington
Hail in Rapid City · Aug 11, 2026
Hit 37 days ago
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; the estimated-size surface reached 4" aloft. At 4" — softball or larger — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Peak hail signal 4" ≈ softball or larger · radar-estimated size aloft
Homes in the hail footprint 12,268
Ground reports 18 18 hail
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size
Convective day · Aug 11, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Rapid City has seen in the last 12 months
Composite score · 9.5 / 10
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
9.5 /10
- Peak hail signal
- 100 /100
- Homes exposed
- 82 /100
- Ground truth
- 100 /100
Largest radar-indicated size — a signal of damage potential, not confirmation.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
Evidence / storm surfaces
How Rapid City saw the hail — from two instruments
Aug 11, 2026 · Rapid City, SD
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
NEXRAD radar signatures Surface resolved
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Max size
0"
Detections
0
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
Max size
4"
The storm in context
Where Aug 11, 2026 sits in Rapid City's hail record.
This was Rapid City's 20th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Aug 10, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 26 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Rapid City at 4" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Aug 11, 2026 convective day was bigger than Rapid City: the same system put hail over 1,041 other tracked cities, 44 of them in South Dakota. Nearest: Deadwood (5 miles west, up to 2"); Nemo (9 miles northwest, up to 1.75"); Hill City (12 miles southwest, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 26 Rapid City storm dates on a live map — both surfaces, the reports, and a replay — and the same map is where you draw the swath. This page rebuilds nightly.
Ground reports
What people on the ground reported
18 reports filed with the NWS
These are storm reports filed with the National Weather Service and released through the NOAA Storm Prediction Center — public-domain observations from spotters, the public, and NWS surveys. We quote each one exactly as filed.
Hail reports
18 reports Hail size 1.75"
3 ENE Rockerville Pennington County
“At Bear Country USA. Hail covered the ground. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2"
Rockerville Pennington County
“Numerous broken windshields reported. Hail covered the ground and roads. Photo and report via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.5"
Rockerville Pennington County
“(UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2"
2 SSE Rockerville Pennington County
“Relayed via NWS Cheyenne. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.5"
1 S Rockerville Pennington County
“Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 3.25"
4 W Hermosa Custer County
“Hail lasted for 15 minutes. Broken glass... downspouts and gutters... carport destroyed. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 3"
7 W Hermosa Custer County
“Measured with a tape measure. Cars reported severely damaged. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 3"
4 WNW Hermosa Pennington County
“Along Highway 40. Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.75"
5 WNW Hermosa Custer County
“Hail lasted for 10-15 minutes (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.75"
5 WNW Hermosa Custer County
“Updated. Hail lasted for 10-15 minutes. 3 skylights were broken. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.75"
1 E Hayward Pennington County
“Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.75"
4 ENE Johnson Siding Pennington County
“Miller Flats area. Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.75"
3 NNE Johnson Siding Pennington County
“Near the intersection of Nemo Rd and Norris Peak Rd. Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 2.5"
3 NNW Johnson Siding Pennington County
“Along Bogus Jim Rd. Photo via social media. Time estimated based on radar. (UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.75"
4 N Johnson Siding Pennington County
“(UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.5"
2 W Black Hawk Meade County
“(UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
2 W Black Hawk Meade County
“(UNR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
How the storm moved
Timing and place names from NOAA ground reports
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
The storm tracked south at roughly 15 mph, based on the timing of ground reports.
Hail was reported over 101 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Rockerville, Hermosa, Hayward, Johnson Siding, and Black Hawk — beyond Rapid City itself.
Severe hail signal
What 4" hail means for Rapid City roofs.
Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
12,268 homes × $12,000 avg. claim
Potential roof exposure
$147M
Potential roof exposure — 12,268 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 61 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$915K
Close just 0.5% of the 12,268 homes in this footprint at the average $15,000 roof job. Illustrative math, not a projection — your results depend on your outreach and how the market responds.
Claim window
August 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around August 2028 — the window to reach these homeowners while it's still open. Deadlines vary by policy and state.
Names and phones for every home in the footprint: at most $2,576 on top of the $150 plan.
Rapid City hail history
Other storms in Rapid City.
26 recorded storm days in Rapid City, SD
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Sep 6, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 27, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 24, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 23, 2026
2.25" Estimated 2.25"
2 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 18, 2026
1.5" Estimated 1.5"
6 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 16, 2026
1.25" Estimated 1.25"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 10, 2026
2" Estimated 2"
2 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Aug 9, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 30, 2026
0.75" Signatures 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 29, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 27, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 9, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 8, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 7, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 3, 2026
3" Signatures 3" Estimated 1.75"
2 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jul 2, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1.5"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jun 26, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jun 22, 2026
1" Estimated 1"
4 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jun 7, 2026
0.75" Signatures 0.5" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jun 6, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
Jun 4, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.75"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
May 31, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1.25"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
May 30, 2026
1.5" Signatures 1.5" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
May 21, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Rapid City / SD
May 3, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
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A storm day here is a convective day — it runs from noon to noon
UTC, so late-night hail is grouped with the afternoon storm that
spawned it rather than split across two calendar dates. Ground
reports are public-domain observations from the NOAA Storm
Prediction Center. Radar tells you where to look. Only an inspection confirms damage at an address. Last updated Sep 7, 2026.