Blizzard, Butte
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in South Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
Snowfall of 1 to 2 feet was common over the northern Black Hills and northwest plains of South Dakota with 6 to 12 inches reported elsewhere. Maximum snowfall was 34 inches at Lead.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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
- $50 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 19
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.
Snowfall of 1 to 2 feet was common over the northern Black Hills and northwest plains of South Dakota with 6 to 12 inches reported elsewhere. Maximum snowfall was 34 inches at Lead. Drifts of 5 to 15 feet developed as sustained winds over 45 mph with frequent gusts over 60 mph ripped across the area for nearly 24 hours. Peak winds included 71 mph at Ellsworth AFB, 69 mph at Rapid CIty, 70 mph at Buffalo, and 67 mph at Winner. Almost all roads were blocked or closed and other forms of travel were impossible. Travel was banned in most areas and many emergency response activities were made impossible. Widespread power outages occurred. East of the Black Hills, the problems were compounded by the heavy rain and sleet that fell before the blizzard developed. Hardest hit by the blizzard were ranchers who suffered major livestock losses as calving season was underway.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Central Black Hills
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.841, -103.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Central Foot Hills
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central Foot Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Custer Plains
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Custer Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Harding
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Harding forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Northern Black Hills
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM 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
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Southern Black Hills
- When
- April 5, 12:00 AM MST to April 6, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Meade Co. Plains
- When
- April 5, 6:00 AM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Meade Co. Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pennington Plains
- When
- April 5, 6:00 AM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Bennett
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Bennett forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50 million
- Coordinates
- 43.195, -101.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jackson
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mellette
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Mellette forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.581, -100.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Perkins
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Perkins forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Oglala Lakota
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Oglala Lakota forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.336, -102.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Todd
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Todd forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Tripp
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Tripp forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.346, -99.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ziebach
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Ziebach forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Haakon
- When
- April 5, 12:00 PM MST to April 6, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Haakon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.294, -101.540 (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
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 9, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, April 5, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 5, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, April 1997
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: 5593393, 5593394, 5593395, 5593396, 5593397, 5593401, 5593402, 5593406, 5593399, 5593403, 5593392, 5593398, 5593400, 5593404, 5593405, 5593407, 5593408, 5593409, 5593532.