South Dakota, 1997

Blizzard in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997

January 15 to 16, 1997 · NWS UNR · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

10 blizzard, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
10

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Harding

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Perkins

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Coordinates
45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Butte

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Butte forecast zone
Coordinates
44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Meade Co. Plains

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Meade Co. Plains forecast zone
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ziebach

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Ziebach forecast zone
Coordinates
44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Black Hills

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 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
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 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, Pennington Plains

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Pennington Plains forecast zone
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Haakon

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Haakon forecast zone
Coordinates
44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jackson

When
January 15, 3:00 AM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates
43.694, -101.628 (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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5584833, 5584834, 5584835, 5584836, 5584837, 5584838, 5584839, 5584840, 5584841, 5584842.