South Dakota, 1996

Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 1996

January 17 to 18, 1996 · NWS ABR · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Two to ten inches of snow, high winds from 40 to 60 mph, and cold arctic air resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills from 40 below to 70 below for central and northcentral South Dakota from the middle morning of the 17th to the early morning of the 18th. Most schools, federal, state, and county offices were closed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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.

Two to ten inches of snow, high winds from 40 to 60 mph, and cold arctic air resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills from 40 below to 70 below for central and northcentral South Dakota from the middle morning of the 17th to the early morning of the 18th. Most schools, federal, state, and county offices were closed. Also, various activities were canceled. Travel was extremely difficult due to the near zero visibility with some vehicles stranded. Some pheasants and wildlife were lost due to the snow packed so hard they could not dig out. Some snowfall amounts included, 2 inches at Highmore, 3 inches at Pierre and 9NE Reliance, 5 inches at Mobridge, Presho, Roscoe, 10SE Stephan, and Ree Heights, 7 inches 12W Tulare and 5E 3S Faulkton, 8 inches 11E 2S Hosmer, and 10 inches at Eureka. The extreme wind chills along with some blowing snow continued across central and northcentral South Dakota into the early evening of the 18th.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Corson

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Corson forecast zone
Coordinates
45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Campbell

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Campbell forecast zone
Coordinates
45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McPherson

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
McPherson forecast zone
Coordinates
45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Walworth

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Walworth forecast zone
Coordinates
45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Edmunds

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Edmunds forecast zone
Coordinates
45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dewey

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Dewey forecast zone
Coordinates
45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Potter

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Potter forecast zone
Coordinates
45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Faulk

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Faulk forecast zone
Coordinates
45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stanley

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Stanley forecast zone
Coordinates
44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sully

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Sully forecast zone
Coordinates
44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hughes

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Hughes forecast zone
Coordinates
44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hyde

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Hyde forecast zone
Coordinates
44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hand

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Hand forecast zone
Coordinates
44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jones

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Jones forecast zone
Coordinates
43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lyman

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Lyman forecast zone
Coordinates
43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Buffalo

When
January 17, 10:00 AM CST to January 18, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Buffalo forecast zone
Coordinates
44.076, -99.205 (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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5537554, 5537555, 5537556, 5537557, 5537558, 5537559, 5537560, 5537561, 5537562, 5537563, 5537564, 5537565, 5537566, 5537567, 5537568, 5537569.