Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 17, 1996

Name: Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 17, 1996
Start: 1996-12-16T02:00
End: 1996-12-17T18:00
Location: South Dakota

December 16 to 17, 1996 · NWS UNR · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A two-day blizzard brought two to four inches of snow and wind gusts over 60 mph to Western South Dakota. Numerous traffic accidents were caused by blowing and drifting snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.

A two-day blizzard brought two to four inches of snow and wind gusts over 60 mph to Western South Dakota. Numerous traffic accidents were caused by blowing and drifting snow. One vehicle flipped off a bridge on Interstate-90 near Wasta; the driver was hospitalized in critical condition. Forty-four people were rescued from vehicles stranded along roads. Many highways, including the Interstate, were closed. Homes and streets in the Buffalo, Lemmon, and Faith areas were covered by ten foot snow drifts. Numerous livestock were missing after wandering off during the storm.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Harding

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Harding forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Perkins

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Perkins forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Butte

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Butte forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Meade Co Plains

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ziebach

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Ziebach forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pennington Co Plains

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Haakon

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to December 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Haakon forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Black Hills

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where: Northern Black Hills forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.310, -103.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Foot Hills

When: December 16, 2:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where: Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5579506, 5579507, 5579508, 5579509, 5579510, 5579511, 5579512, 5579513, 5579514.