Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16, 2000

Name: Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16, 2000
Start: 2000-12-16T00:00
End: 2000-12-16T23:59
Location: South Dakota

December 16, 2000 · NWS FSD · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Winds gusting above 50 mph combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 4 inches of new snow to produce prolonged blizzard conditions. Visibilities near zero and drifting snow made travel impossible.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

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 FSD wrote it up.

Winds gusting above 50 mph combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 4 inches of new snow to produce prolonged blizzard conditions. Visibilities near zero and drifting snow made travel impossible. Even snow plows were pulled off the roads until conditions improved. Interstate highways 90 and 29 were closed for more than 12 hours. Many businesses, colleges, and technical schools closed during the storm. Wind chills dropped to colder than 60 below zero at times. The only reported damage was minor, such as a few signs blown over, but the economic impact of the storm was still large in lost travel, business, and snow removal costs. The main shopping mall in Sioux Falls was forced to close early on the second busiest shopping weekend before Christmas.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Aurora

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Aurora forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.718, -98.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Beadle

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bon Homme

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Bon Homme forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brule

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Brule forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.718, -99.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Charles Mix

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Charles Mix forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.208, -98.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Davison

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Douglas

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.387, -98.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Gregory

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Gregory forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.192, -99.186 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hanson

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hutchinson

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jerauld

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Jerauld forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.066, -98.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sanborn

When: December 16, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kingsbury

When: December 16, 2:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kingsbury forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Miner

When: December 16, 2:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brookings

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brookings forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clay

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lake

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lincoln

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McCook

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: McCook forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Minnehaha

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Moody

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Moody forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Turner

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Turner forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Union

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.833, -96.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Yankton

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, December 2000

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: 5178259, 5178260, 5178261, 5178263, 5178264, 5178266, 5178267, 5178268, 5178269, 5178270, 5178271, 5178279, 5178272, 5178276, 5178262, 5178265, 5178273, 5178274, 5178275, 5178277, 5178278, 5178280, 5178281, 5178282.