High Wind, Rapid City
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Rapid City forecast zone
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in South Dakota, February 10, 1996
Strong northwest winds behind a cold front blew across western South Dakota. The Rapid City airport recorded a peak gust of 70 mph, which was a record for February.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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.
Strong northwest winds behind a cold front blew across western South Dakota. The Rapid City airport recorded a peak gust of 70 mph, which was a record for February. Several semi-trailer trucks were blown over by the winds: 15 miles north of Buffalo, 8 miles south of Reva, along Highway 83 north of White River, and Interstate 90 east of Belvidere. A billboard blew over and smashed two cars in Black Hawk. A ham radio tower was toppled around Hill City. Buildings lost their roofs and trees fell. The winds downed powerlines, which started four fires. One fire consumed 1500 acres just east of Custer State Park; another blackened 25 acres in the park; and 40 acres burned near Stockade Lake.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Harding
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Harding forecast zone
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph)
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Pennington Co Plains
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Perkins
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Perkins forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Central Black Hills
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central Black Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 43 kt (49 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.841, -103.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Jackson
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Butte
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Foot Hills
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Custer Co Plains
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Custer Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Mellette
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Mellette forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.581, -100.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Iowa, February 10 to 11, 1996
- High Wind in South Dakota, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in Minnesota, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in Ohio, February 10 to 11, 1996
- High Wind in Nebraska, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in Minnesota, February 10 to 11, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in North Dakota, February 10, 1996
- High Wind in Nebraska, February 10, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, February 10 to 11, 1996
- High Wind in South Dakota, February 10, 1996
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: 5537351, 5537352, 5537353, 5537354, 5537355, 5537356, 5537357, 5537358, 5537359, 5537360, 5537361.