South Dakota, 1999

High Wind in South Dakota, March 17, 1999

March 17, 1999 · NWS ABR · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

High winds of 30 to 50 mph gusting to over 60 mph occurred over much of northeast South Dakota through the morning and into the early afternoon hours. Several homes and businesses sustained some roof damage.

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.

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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 ABR wrote it up.

High winds of 30 to 50 mph gusting to over 60 mph occurred over much of northeast South Dakota through the morning and into the early afternoon hours. Several homes and businesses sustained some roof damage. In Aberdeen, the high winds tore a large piece of roof off of a bowling alley and also tore a piece of roof off an appliance store. The wind damaged some power lines and connections in Aberdeen and also damaged some traffic lights. In Aberdeen, the power was out for 2500 customers for a few hours in the morning. There was also minor to severe damage to two old farm buildings west of Aberdeen. One barn lost 75 percent of it's roof and was unrepairable. The second barn was pushed six inches off of it's foundation suffering minor structural damage. The Edmunds County Highway Department Shop under construction east of Ipswich suffered a lot of damage as many rafters came down and the sidewall frame shifted. Finally, many small to medium-sized branches were brought down by the high winds. Some wind gusts across the area included, 58 mph in Aberdeen and 63 mph in Watertown.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Codington

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Codington forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clark

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grant

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Deuel

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Deuel forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hamlin

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Hamlin forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roberts

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Roberts forecast zone
Measured
47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Day

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Day forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Marshall

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Spink

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Spink forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McPherson

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
McPherson forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Edmunds

When
March 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Edmunds forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
45.419, -99.215 (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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 1999

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: 5687455, 5687456, 5687457, 5687458, 5687459, 5687460, 5687461, 5687462, 5687463, 5687464, 5687465, 5687466.