South Dakota, 1996

Cold in South Dakota, February 1 to 2, 1996

February 1 to 2, 1996 · NWS ABR · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Bitterly cold arctic air combined with north winds of 5 to 20 mph to produce record low temperatures and extreme wind chills. Wind chills ranged from 50 below to 70 below with actual temperatures ranging from 20 below to 40 below on the morning of the first.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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 ABR wrote it up.

Bitterly cold arctic air combined with north winds of 5 to 20 mph to produce record low temperatures and extreme wind chills. Wind chills ranged from 50 below to 70 below with actual temperatures ranging from 20 below to 40 below on the morning of the first. Aberdeen had a record low of 36 below that morning. Then, as the north winds increased to 15 to 25 mph, the wind chills fell to 60 below to 80 below by late afternoon and during the night. Wind speeds decreased by the late morning of the second, allowing wind chills to rise to the 40 below to 60 below range. By 4 pm cst, the winds had decreased enough to keep wind chills in the 20 below to 40 below range.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Corson

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Corson forecast zone
Coordinates
45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Campbell

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Campbell forecast zone
Coordinates
45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, McPherson

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
McPherson forecast zone
Coordinates
45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Brown

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Coordinates
45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Marshall

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates
45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Roberts

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Roberts forecast zone
Coordinates
45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Walworth

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Walworth forecast zone
Coordinates
45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Edmunds

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Edmunds forecast zone
Coordinates
45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Day

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Day forecast zone
Coordinates
45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Dewey

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Dewey forecast zone
Coordinates
45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Potter

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Potter forecast zone
Coordinates
45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Faulk

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Faulk forecast zone
Coordinates
45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Spink

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Spink forecast zone
Coordinates
44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Stanley

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Stanley forecast zone
Coordinates
44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sully

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Sully forecast zone
Coordinates
44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Hughes

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hughes forecast zone
Coordinates
44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Hyde

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hyde forecast zone
Coordinates
44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Hand

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hand forecast zone
Coordinates
44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jones

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Jones forecast zone
Coordinates
43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lyman

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lyman forecast zone
Coordinates
43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Buffalo

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Buffalo forecast zone
Coordinates
44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, February 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: 5541889, 5541890, 5541891, 5541892, 5541893, 5541894, 5541895, 5541896, 5541897, 5541898, 5541899, 5541900, 5541901, 5541902, 5541903, 5541904, 5541905, 5541906, 5541907, 5541908, 5541909, 5542091.