Lightning TrackerRapid City storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for Rapid City, SD, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for Rapid City, SD
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Storm outlook, next 48 hours
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Severe weather in Rapid City by the numbers
Rapid City sits in one of the most active severe-weather areas in the country: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 1,133 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 884 hail reports, 247 damaging-wind reports and 2 tornado reports. On average that is 20.5 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in June, July, August, when 85% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 27 hail reports, 24 wind reports and 0 tornado reports around Rapid City; the largest hail was 3.60″ (tea cup) on Aug 11, 2026.
Latest storm reports near Rapid City
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2026 | Damaging wind | 9 mi E · Pennington Co. |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Damaging wind | 8 mi E · Pennington Co. |
| Aug 23, 2026 | Hail 1.75″ | 13 mi W · Pennington Co. |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Hail 1.50″ | 4 mi SW · Pennington Co. |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Damaging wind | 11 mi N · Meade Co. |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Damaging wind | 7 mi SE · Pennington Co. |
| Aug 11, 2026 | Hail 1.50″ | 8 mi NW · Meade Co. |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Hail 1.50″ | 16 mi W · Pennington Co. |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Damaging wind | 14 mi NE · Meade Co. |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Damaging wind | 23 mi SW · Custer Co. |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in Rapid City
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in Rapid City
Rapid City averages 17.2 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 4.50 inches — about the size of a grapefruit — reported 12 miles from the city centre on Aug 8, 2020. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near Rapid City
There have been 2 tornado reports within 25 miles of Rapid City since 2016; the strongest was rated EF2 (Jun 13, 2016, 15 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for Rapid City on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near Rapid City
Questions about storms in Rapid City
Does Rapid City get a lot of severe storms?
Rapid City averages 20.5 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in Rapid City?
Most severe-weather reports around Rapid City come in June, July, August.
What is the biggest hail recorded near Rapid City?
4.50 inches (grapefruit size) on Aug 8, 2020, 12 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near Rapid City?
Yes — 2 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF2 on Jun 13, 2016.
How do I get storm alerts for Rapid City?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Rapid City, SD. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Rapid City, SD. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Oct 27, 2026.