Winter Storm, Butte
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
A winter storm of freezing drizzle, fog, and light snow turned roads into ice rinks across the Black Hills and plains of Western South Dakota. M.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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.
A winter storm of freezing drizzle, fog, and light snow turned roads into ice rinks across the Black Hills and plains of Western South Dakota. Area police and Highway Patrol investigated 80 accidents between 7:00 A.M. and noon on Wednesday morning. Three of the accidents involved minor injuries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Northern Meade Co Plains
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Black Hills
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.310, -103.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Foot Hills
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Rapid City
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Rapid City forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern Foot Hills
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Foot Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.239, -103.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Central Black Hills
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Central Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.841, -103.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern Black Hills
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Custer Co Plains
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Custer Co Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pennington Co Plains
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Fall River
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Fall River forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.239, -103.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Oglala Lakota
- When
- March 12, 1:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Oglala Lakota forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.336, -102.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in Vermont, March 12, 1997
- Flood in Oklahoma, March 12, 1997
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, March 12, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 12 to 31, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Flooding in Iowa, March 12 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, March 12 to 13, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 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: 5594018, 5594019, 5594020, 5594021, 5594022, 5594023, 5594024, 5594025, 5594026, 5594027, 5594028, 5594029.