High Wind, Butte
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in South Dakota, July 1, 1997
Winds were sustained over 40 mph much of the day across western and south central South Dakota, and higher gusts were frequent. Damage included downed trees, power outages, and structural damage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
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.
Winds were sustained over 40 mph much of the day across western and south central South Dakota, and higher gusts were frequent. Damage included downed trees, power outages, and structural damage. Most damage occurred in the central Black Hills where numerous large trees were blown down, localized major structural damage occurred, and numerous small wildfires were sparked.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Central Black Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central Black Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.841, -103.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Numerous lagre trees damaged or knocked down.
High Wind, Central Foot Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central Foot Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Numerous trees were knocked down; some blocked roads.
High Wind, Custer Plains
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Custer Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Fall River Co.
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Fall River Co. forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.239, -103.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several downed trees and power outages were reported across the county.
High Wind, Harding
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Harding forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Meade Co. Plains
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Meade Co. Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Black Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Black Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.310, -103.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Foot Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Pennington Plains
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Perkins
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Perkins forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern Black Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Black Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
At Custer, a boy was reported to have minor injuries from flying debris. Also near Custer, a girl was injured by a falling limb. Major damage occurred to a store in Custer when winds ripped off a large portion of he face of the store and part of the roof. Much of the city lost power for several hours when poles were snapped by the strong winds. Lagre trees were split and knocked down across Custer State Park.
High Wind, Southern Foot Hills
- When
- July 1, 9:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.239, -103.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Oglala Lakota
- When
- July 1, 10:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Oglala Lakota forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.336, -102.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Bennett
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Bennett forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.195, -101.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Haakon
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Haakon forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Jackson
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Ziebach
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Ziebach forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Todd
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Todd forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Tripp
- When
- July 1, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Tripp forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.346, -99.884 (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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Minnesota, July 1, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, July 1 to 25, 1997
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, July 1, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 1, 1997
- Drought in Maryland, July 1 to 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, July 1, 1997
- Drought in West Virginia, July 1 to 31, 1997
- Drought in Virginia, July 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in North Carolina, July 1, 1997
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 1 to 23, 1997
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 1, 1997
- Hail in Kansas, July 1, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, July 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: 5610374, 5610375, 5610376, 5610377, 5610378, 5610380, 5610382, 5610383, 5610384, 5610385, 5610386, 5610388, 5610389, 5610387, 5610373, 5610379, 5610381, 5610390, 5610391, 5610392.