Dante, South Dakota…What The Hail?
LARGE HAIL AT DANTE SOUTH DAKOTA TUESDAY EVENING
…DANTE SOUTH DAKOTA HAILSTONE OFFICIALLY MEASURED AT 5.25 INCHES…
LARGE HAIL FELL ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA TUESDAY
EVENING AUGUST 21 2007. THE SMALL COMMUNITY OF DANTE…IN SOUTHEAST
CHARLES MIX COUNTY…TOOK A DIRECT HIT FROM THE LARGE HAIL. MOST
HOMES IN DANTE SUSTAINED CONSIDERABLE HAIL DAMAGE…WITH HOLES
PUNCHED IN ALMOST EVERY ROOF IN TOWN BY THE LARGE HAIL.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYED THE DAMAGE AND FOUND THE
LARGEST HAILSTONE TO BE 5.25 INCHES IN DIAMETER. THIS HAILSTONE WAS
NOT PICKED UP FOR 10 TO 20 MINUTES AFTER IT FELL…SO WAS LIKELY
LARGER WHEN IT HIT THE GROUND. THE LARGE HAIL CREATED CRATERS UP TO
10 INCHES BY 12 INCHES IN THE YARDS THROUGHOUT DANDE. THE LARGEST
HAIL FELL AT APPROXIMATELY 610 PM ON AUGUST 21 2007.
WHILE UNUSUALLY LARGE AND VERY DAMAGING…THE DANTE HAIL DOES NOT
SET A NATIONAL OR STATE RECORD.
THE NATIONAL RECORD HAIL IS 7 INCHES ACROSS…MEASURED AT AURORA
NEBRASKA ON JUNE 22 2003. THE SOUTH DAKOTA RECORD…SINCE
1950…APPEARS TO BE 6.00 INCHES IN CUSTER COUNTY ON JUNE 22 1968.
MORE RECENT NOTABLE LARGE HAIL IN SOUTH DAKOTA INCLUDES 4.25 INCHES
2 MILES SOUTH OF DELMONT IN DOUGLAS COUNTY ON SEPTEMBER 16 2006 AND
4.25 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN SULLY COUNTY 8 MILES WEST OF AGAR ON
AUGUST 24 2006.
PICTURES OF THE DANTE HAIL AND ASSOCIATED DAMAGE…WILL BE POSTED TO
THE WFO SIOUX FALLS NEWS HEADLINE WEB PAGE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FSD BY
NOON THURSDAY AUGUST 23 2000
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Unbelievable! I would give a significant and important body part to have been there to get video of that coming down. However, I can only guess that would have been terrifying!! I have personally witnessed cantaloupe size hail, and that was pretty scary, but to imagine hail coming down that would make those kind of craters. I wonder what livestock, if any, was killed around there by that? What is really incredible is when you have to think about the vertical wind speeds in the updraft of that storm capable of suspending hail until it reached that size! What an intense storm!
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EDIT UPDATE:
The largest hailstone (pictured below) documented in Dante was officially measured by Dr. Todey at 6 and 7/8 inches in diameter, with a circumference of 18.00 inches and a weight of 1.0 pound, which does set a new record for the state of South Dakota. The previous South Dakota hailstone record was 6.00 inches in Custer County on June 22 1968. Records for hail in South Dakota date back to 1950.Nationally, the largest hailstone on record (based on diameter and circumference) occurred at Aurora, Nebraska, on June 22, 2003. The 2003 Aurora hailstone measured 7 inches in diameter, and had a circumference of 18.75 inches. The Dante hailstone fell just short of this, coming in 1/8 inch shorter, and 3/4 inch smaller in circumference.
Written by David Drummond on August 22nd, 2007 with
5 comments.
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Man, that looks like some sort of medieval weapon. I too would love to have been there to witness that….from safe shelter of course. 
I read someplace that many houses in the SD town had holes punched through the roofs too. Like you said, the updraft velocities had to be incredible to suspend something so heavy.
#1. August 23rd, 2007, at 9:58 AM.
Have I mentioned that I have yet to see hail? I can’t even imagine hail like that falling from the sky… unbelievable!