HailEvidence → hail history by county → South Dakota → Clay County
Hail dates in Clay County, South Dakota
The National Weather Service has recorded hail in Clay County on 22 days since 2016 (31 separate reports, 24 of them quarter-size or larger). The largest stone on record was 1.75" (golf ball) on June 29, 2017; the most recent hail was May 31, 2026. Every row below is an official NWS record. Check hail at your exact address, free →
Every hail day in Clay County since 2016
One row per day the NWS logged hail somewhere in the county. The narrative names the town; the free check below narrows it to your address.
| Date | Largest hail | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2026-05-24 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2025-06-02 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | — |
| 2025-04-28 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-05-20 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | A considerable amount of nickel to quarter size hail fell. |
| 2023-07-12 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 1 | — |
| 2023-07-03 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 1 | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2023-06-24 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2023-05-04 | 0.75" (penny) | 1 | A significant accumulation of pea to dime size hail occurred. |
| 2022-05-30 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 3 | — |
| 2022-05-29 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2022-05-12 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2022-05-11 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2021-07-08 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2020-10-11 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2020-07-06 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 1 | Strong winds accompanied the hail. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2020-06-21 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2017-07-03 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2017-06-29 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 1 | — |
| 2017-06-07 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2017-04-15 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 3 | Numerous reports of hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls. |
| 2016-08-16 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 1 | — |
Hail days by year
| Year | Hail days | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 3 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) |
| 2022 | 4 | 7 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2020 | 3 | 4 | 1.25" (half dollar) |
| 2017 | 4 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
Damaging wind in Clay County
Thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more (the NWS severe threshold), 31 reports since 2016, strongest 86 mph. 1 tornado recorded in the county in the same period. Wind and tornado records are included in the extended report.
| Date | Peak gust | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-12 | 86 mph | 5 | A semi-truck was blown over between Meckling and Vermillion on State Highway 50. |
| 2019-07-17 | 85 mph | 2 | Farm outbuilding destroyed northwest of Wakonda. |
| 2025-06-02 | 81 mph | 2 | A portion of a storage building was destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| 2025-07-28 | 77 mph | 1 | An extended period of thunderstorm wind gusts was measured by South Dakota Mesonet station BFMS2 Beresford 7 WSW. |
| 2024-07-29 | 75 mph | 2 | A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds in Vermillion. |
| 2023-05-11 | 75 mph | 1 | Thunderstorm winds snapped several large trees. |
| 2020-07-03 | 74 mph | 1 | A personal weather station measured a wind gust to 74 mph. |
| 2021-09-16 | 71 mph | 1 | Wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 2 miles north northeast of Burbank. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses… |
Was hail recorded at your Clay County address? Check free
Type a street address — or just a ZIP code. We measure it
against every hail event the National Weather Service recorded in the last 10 years and show you
how many fall within 1, 3 and 10 miles — free, instantly, nothing stored. Rural property with no street
address? Enter coordinates as 44.05, -107.31.
Address lookup by the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. Records: NOAA NCEI Storm Events (final) plus SPC preliminary reports for storms newer than the latest compile — see methodology.
Need it in writing for a claim?
The verification report lists every NWS hail (and, in the extended version, wind and tornado) record within 1, 3 and 10 miles of one address, each linked to its official source, with the disputed date called out in plain English. Adjusters can verify every line.
10-year hail history for one address + the disputed-date finding.
15-year window, wind & tornado records, plus a drafted claim-appeal letter.
Questions
What date did hail last hit Clay County?
May 31, 2026, per the NWS Storm Events record. The largest since 2016 was 1.75" (golf ball) on June 29, 2017.
Does a county record prove hail at my house?
No. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. The free check above shows what was recorded near your specific address, with distances.
Nearby counties
Yankton County, SD (19 mi) · Union County, SD (20 mi) · Cedar County, NE (22 mi) · Turner County, SD (28 mi) · Dixon County, NE (28 mi) · Lincoln County, SD (38 mi) · Sioux County, IA (42 mi) · Plymouth County, IA (43 mi)
See also: South Dakota hail history by city · all counties