Blizzard in South Dakota, March 24 to 25, 1996

Name: Blizzard in South Dakota, March 24 to 25, 1996
Start: 1996-03-24T11:00
End: 1996-03-25T18:00
Location: South Dakota

March 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS FSD · 28 events in 28 counties and zones

Snow accumulating 3 to 8 inches was accompanied by winds over 50 mph at times, producing widespread whiteout conditions. Numerous vehicles slid into ditches and many people were stranded in vehicles.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 28 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: 1
Injuries: 8
Property damage: $400,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 28

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 FSD wrote it up.

Snow accumulating 3 to 8 inches was accompanied by winds over 50 mph at times, producing widespread whiteout conditions. Numerous vehicles slid into ditches and many people were stranded in vehicles. There were some rollovers and other accidents, including a fatality near Tripp in Hutchinson County. Some power outages occurred due to downed or whipping power lines. Other damage was caused by the strong winds, including the roof blown off of a golf clubhouse at Parker in Turner County. Many roads, including interstate highways, were closed or blocked, and schools and businesses were closed or forced to delay opening on the 25th. Wind chills were as low as 40 below zero.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

28 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Clark

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Codington

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Codington forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hamlin

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Deuel

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Beadle

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kingsbury

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Kingsbury forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brookings

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Brookings forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Gregory

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Gregory forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.192, -99.186 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jerauld

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jerauld forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.066, -98.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sanborn

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Miner

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brule

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Brule forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.718, -99.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Aurora

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Aurora forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.718, -98.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Davison

When: March 24, 11:00 AM CST to March 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lake

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Moody

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Moody forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hanson

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McCook

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: McCook forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Minnehaha

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha forecast zone
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Charles Mix

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Charles Mix forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.208, -98.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Douglas

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.387, -98.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hutchinson

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Turner

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Turner forecast zone
Property damage: $40,000
Coordinates: 43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lincoln

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bon Homme

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Bon Homme forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Yankton

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clay

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Union

When: March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.833, -96.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Blizzard, Hutchinson	1996-03-25	42	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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, March 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: 5549764, 5549765, 5549766, 5549767, 5549768, 5549769, 5549770, 5549771, 5549772, 5549773, 5549774, 5549777, 5549778, 5549779, 5549775, 5549776, 5549780, 5549781, 5549782, 5549783, 5549784, 5549785, 5549786, 5549787, 5549788, 5549789, 5549790, 5549791.