South Dakota, 2000

Blizzard in South Dakota, December 28, 2000

December 28, 2000 · NWS FSD · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Strong winds, gusting to over 50 mph at times, combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 2 inches of new snowfall to create blizzard conditions. Visibilities were near zero at times, especially in open areas.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 FSD wrote it up.

Strong winds, gusting to over 50 mph at times, combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 2 inches of new snowfall to create blizzard conditions. Visibilities were near zero at times, especially in open areas. The reduced visibility and drifting snow made travel impossible in many areas. Many businesses were forced to close.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Beadle

When
December 28, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Beadle forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jerauld

When
December 28, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Jerauld forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.066, -98.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kingsbury

When
December 28, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Kingsbury forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Miner

When
December 28, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Miner forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sanborn

When
December 28, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Sanborn forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lake

When
December 28, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McCook

When
December 28, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
McCook forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lincoln

When
December 28, 1:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Minnehaha

When
December 28, 1:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Minnehaha forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Moody

When
December 28, 1:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Moody forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Turner

When
December 28, 1:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Turner forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Union

When
December 28, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.833, -96.656 (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

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: 5176909, 5176910, 5176911, 5176915, 5176918, 5176912, 5176914, 5176913, 5176916, 5176917, 5176919, 5176920.