There’s never a dull moment here in the Black Hills – especially when you’re talking weather. This morning I got up and walked outside to an absolutely gorgeous day. Clear blue skies, birds chirping, flowers blooming.

Around noon today, I went for a walk in downtown Deadwood. Still perfect – not a cloud in sight – you could literally see for miles.

Then, about 2:30 this afternoon, it happened. Thunder, lightening, torrential rains, and hail. The Black Hills region is known for its fast-moving thundershowers that seemingly appear from out of nowhere and move on through just as quickly. This was one of them.

Within minutes, the sky clouded over and the it was like somebody just turned on a giant shower head. This wasn’t one of those rain showers that started with a sprinkle and then got heavier. No, Sir-ee! The rain began heavy and kept coming down for about 30 minutes.

There was about 10 minutes of hail too – not terribly large, but enough to pile up on the ground. Most of the hail was the small stuff that I scooped up and took this photo of, but there were a few larger marble-sized pieces here and there.

Thankfully, it wasn’t severe enough to cause any major damage here in town, but I bet there are several creeks in the area that are rushing near or out of their banks from the heavy rain.

Black Hills weather is truly unpredictable and that’s what makes it so interesting – you have to be prepared for everything when you spend time outdoors. It changes quickly and often unexpectedly. Thankfully, when Mother Nature decides to throw a fit here in the hills – it usually doesn’t last too long.

As a matter of fact, the sun just came back out and skies are back to bright blue already – time to head outside.