Alert archive / South Dakota / Freeze Warnings in 2026

Freeze Warning 3, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 19, 20265 counties in South Dakota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this freeze warning at May 19, 2026, 2:43 AM CDT for 5 counties in South Dakota. It took effect at May 20, 2026, 1:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 7 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 19, 2026, 2:43 AM CDT (07:43 UTC)
In effect from
May 20, 2026, 1:00 AM CDT
Expired
May 20, 2026, 8:00 AM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD

Counties Beadle County, SD, Brookings County, SD, Jerauld County, SD, Kingsbury County, SD, Sanborn County, SD

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:45 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 344 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 90 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
689 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this freeze warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this freeze warning went out at May 18, 6:42 PM CDT, 8 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 6:42 PM CDT, 8 hours 1 minute before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 3:31 AM CDT, 23 hours 12 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
331 AM CDT Mon May 18 2026

IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-
098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-190845-
Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee-
Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-Murray-Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson-
Pipestone-Rock-Dixon-Dakota-Beadle-Kingsbury-Brookings-Gregory-
Jerauld-Sanborn-Miner-Lake-Moody-Brule-Aurora-Davison-Hanson-McCook-
Minnehaha-Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Turner-Bon Homme-Yankton-
Union-
331 AM CDT Mon May 18 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest Iowa, west central
Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska, central South
Dakota, east central South Dakota, south central South Dakota and
southeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms return to the area this
afternoon through tonight. A few strong to severe storms are possible
along and southeast of a line from Wayne to Sheldon to Windom. If
strong storms develop, ping pong ball sized hail and 60 mph wind
gusts are the main threats. However, locally heavy rainfall and a
tornado are possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Chances for showers and thunderstorms return Thursday through
Friday.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 2:43 AM CDTFrost AdvisoryFSDAurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison and 13 more29 hr

Nearby

Freeze Warnings in South Dakota, 2026Every freeze warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.