Is South Dakota prone to nasty hail?

Yes.

Among state populations, South Dakotas is one of the most vulnerable to hail damage.

Thats according to an analysis by the online insurance marketplace Insurify, which looked at hail-related events, the financial loss resulting from those events and the proportion of the states population without the insurance to cover damages from hail.

South Dakota ranked seventh, with an average of 134 hail events each year causing $12.7 million in financial losses. The states rank would be even higher, but overall vulnerability is offset by the high number of residents with full-coverage auto insurance.

Rapid City can be hit particularly hard in the summer because of the citys proximity to the Black Hills. Winds drafting up the hills force moisture high into the air, where it freezes and falls back as hail.

South Dakota holds the U.S. record for the largest hailstone, measuring 8 inches in diameter and weighing 1.93 pounds.

This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Insurify, Ten states with the most hail damage in 2025
• Rapid City Journal, Black Hills a breeding ground for severe storms

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This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they’re published. Contact Michael Klinski at [email protected].