Blizzard, Clark
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clark forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in South Dakota, March 31, 1998
Heavy snow of 6 to 15 inches combined with 30 to 50 mph winds to generate blizzard conditions across most of northeast South Dakota from noon through the late evening of the 31st. Many roads became snowpacked and impossible to travel on which left many people stranded, especially along Interstate-29 and Highway 12.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
- 9
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 ABR wrote it up.
Heavy snow of 6 to 15 inches combined with 30 to 50 mph winds to generate blizzard conditions across most of northeast South Dakota from noon through the late evening of the 31st. Many roads became snowpacked and impossible to travel on which left many people stranded, especially along Interstate-29 and Highway 12. There were some accidents in northeast South Dakota. In Hamlin county, a man was injured when his snowmobile struck a snowplow in Bryant in the early evening. Also, in the early afternoon, 4 miles west of Lake Norden on Highway 28, a car crossed the lane and hit a semi. The car was destroyed with thousands of dollars of damage to the semi. The driver of the car was injured. Many schools were let out early on the 31st and were canceled for April 1st. Also, many activities and sports events were postponed or canceled and many businesses were closed. Some snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at Doland , Conde, and Castlewood, 7 inches at Turton and Clear Lake, 8 inches at Clark and Britton, 9 inches at Bryant and Webster, 10 inches near Peever, and 11 inches at Summit. Snowfall amounts of a foot or more included, 12 inches at Watertown and Big Stone City, 13 inches at Victor, the Waubay NWR, and Sisseton, 14 inches at Wilmot, and 15 inches at Milbank.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Spink
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Spink forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Day
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Day forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Marshall
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Roberts
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Roberts forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Grant
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Codington
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Codington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Hamlin
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamlin forecast zone
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Deuel
- When
- March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Deuel forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.760, -96.668 (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
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, March 31, 1998
- Flash Flood in Vermont, March 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 31, 1998
- Funnel Clouds and Waterspouts in California, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 1998
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: 5638597, 5638598, 5638599, 5638600, 5638601, 5638602, 5638603, 5638604, 5638605.