South Dakota, 2000

Winter Storm and High Wind in South Dakota, December 18, 2000

December 18, 2000 · NWS UNR · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A cold front moved through the region and caused sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph with some gusts to near 60 mph. The winds lasted for two to four hours before decreasing again.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 cold front moved through the region and caused sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph with some gusts to near 60 mph. The winds lasted for two to four hours before decreasing again. It also brought three to seven inches of snow to the northern Black Hills, with one to three inches to the northern Foothills. The northern Black Hills and Foothills had strong winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph which caused near blizzard conditions at times.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Northern Black Hills / Lawrence Except N / Lawrence Except Sw Meade

When
December 18, 6:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Black Hills / Lawrence Except N / Lawrence Except Sw Meade forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.310, -103.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Harding

When
December 18, 7:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Measured
39 kt (45 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Meade Co. Plains / Except X Sw Meade

When
December 18, 7:30 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where
Meade Co. Plains / Except X Sw Meade forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Foot Hills / N Lawrence / X Sw Butte / Part of Sw Meade

When
December 18, 8:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Foot Hills / N Lawrence / X Sw Butte / Part of Sw Meade forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Central Foot Hills / C Pennington / Part of E Custer

When
December 18, 9:00 AM MST to 1:30 PM MST
Where
Central Foot Hills / C Pennington / Part of E Custer forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Tripp

When
December 18, 9:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Tripp forecast zone
Measured
36 kt (41 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
43.346, -99.884 (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.
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 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5177451, 5177400, 5177401, 5177450, 5177399, 5177402.