National

South Dakota hail storms caused so much damage, you can see it from space

Hail pounded through western and central South Dakota last month, as storm-hurled balls of ice blasted car windows and shredded crops.

How bad was it? NASA can help.

Because you can see the damage from space.

That's right. The space agency's satellites can see the damage left by the late-June hail, a light-brown tear stretching across more than half the state. In some spots, the hail scar is 6 miles wide.

“Crops and grasslands can present a very uniform and green background when observed from space. With wind-driven hail capable of shredding the vegetation, the storm damage becomes visible in satellite imagery,” said Jordan Bell, a research meteorologist with NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT), in a NASA news post.

The damage was so severe, it shows up on NASA satellite sensors that detect land surface heat. Hail-stripped areas run hotter than surrounding areas, because they lack protection from crops and other vegetation.

The first storm swept from southwestern North Dakota into north central South Dakota on June 27, just missing Pierre. Another storm on June 29 developed over Wyoming and swung into western South Dakota, spawning tornadoes and 4.5-inch hail stones, according to the National Weather Service.

The damage will fade in time. A similar situation in 2003 resulted in hail scars visible to satellites for about six weeks.

Follow Jeremy J. Fugleberg on Twitter: @jayfug