High Wind in South Dakota, April 6, 1997

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, April 6, 1997
Start: 1997-04-06T07:00
End: 1997-04-06T17:00
Location: South Dakota

April 6, 1997 · NWS FSD · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $240,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

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.

Widespread high winds, gusting as high as 72 mph, blew down trees and signs, tore off shingles, and caused additional scattered damage to structures. The winds aggravated ongoing flooding in some areas. The high winds were accompanied by 1 to 3 inches of snow, reducing visibility in blowing snow.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kingsbury

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Kingsbury forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lake

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lincoln

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McCook

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: McCook forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Miner

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Minnehaha

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Moody

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Moody forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sanborn

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Turner

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Turner forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Union

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.833, -96.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Yankton

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Beadle

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Aurora

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Aurora forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.718, -98.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bon Homme

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Bon Homme forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brookings

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Brookings forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brule

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Brule forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.718, -99.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Charles Mix

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Charles Mix forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.208, -98.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clay

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Davison

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Douglas

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.387, -98.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Gregory

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Gregory forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.192, -99.186 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hanson

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hutchinson

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jerauld

When: April 6, 7:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jerauld forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.066, -98.630 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5604106, 5604107, 5604108, 5604109, 5604110, 5604111, 5604112, 5604113, 5604114, 5604115, 5604116, 5605556, 5605557, 5605558, 5605559, 5605560, 5605561, 5605562, 5605563, 5605564, 5605565, 5605566, 5605567, 5605568.