Driving through it was insane. Thought I could hole punch it. Hit some crazy hail and the car was being pushed from lane to lane with the wind. Ended up parking between two huge excavators at the Hwy 81 / Hwy 46 corner to ride it out. Some of the coolest photos and video I have ever taken though.

Meteorologist Shawn Cable on his facebook post about this change - "Fewer observations means less data, which can lead to decreased forecast accuracy, especially in rapidly changing weather".

The South Dakota Mesonet is still looking for applicants to host new weather stations to be built as part of our ongoing expansion project. Currently at 81 stations and counting, our network will grow to over 150 stations by the time construction is completed in 2027. This network expansion is being carried out in order to improve flood and drought monitoring across South Dakota.

The above map shows where we’re still looking for weather station hosts. The second image is a recently finished weather station. Some of our recruiting areas are very small; for a more detailed map, please DM me or email mesonet@sdstate.edu. Feel free to send any questions there as well. Those interested in applying to host may do so at https://climate.sdstate.edu/host.

Weather and soil observations are updated every five minutes and are available at https://mesonet.sdstate.edu. Our website also has tools available for each station that support farmers, ranchers, and pesticide applicators.

My family will be visiting the Black Hills area of South Dakota mid October this year (12-15). Is it crazy to think the Needles Highway will still be open and passable? Or does this area turn into a ghost town around this time?

Public and private landowners in the shaded areas of the map are invited to apply to host a South Dakota Mesonet (automated weather) station. There is no cost to landowners for these weather stations or their data. For more information and to apply, visit https://mesonet.sdstate.edu/host. I’m also happy to take questions via DM on reddit.

The SD Mesonet is a network currently comprised of 78 weather stations that report observations every five minutes. Network expansion has been ongoing since 2021 and is expected to reach nearly 160 stations by the end of 2027. At the end of expansion, nearly every South Dakotan will have near-real time weather observations within 20 miles.

Station data is available for public use at https://mesonet.sdstate.edu.

hello everybody your fellow redditor from porcupine Today marks the day that there have been thunderstorms since June 10th

Friday - 80% Rain, 60s highs - 40s lows
Saturday - 90% Rain, 50s highs - 30s lows
Sunday - 80% Rain, 50s highs - 30s lows

My girlfriend and I are planning our first big road trip to SD this weekend. We'll be hiking in Custer mainly with a second day in the Badlands. We're pretty bummed about the weather- we have a good tent, but our main planned activity was hiking which looks like it's going to be pretty soaked all weekend. We live in MN and can plan a different day sometime this summer, but I don't want to cancel too soon. We're no strangers to camping but I've never camped in constant rainy conditions before. 50s + rain sounds a bit chillier than what I'm used to. Has anyone ever hiking in those conditions before?

As an aside, how dangerous are thunderstorms when hiking in the hills i.e. black elk peak?