Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 14 to 15, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 14 to 15, 2001
Start: 2001-03-14T13:00
End: 2001-03-15T04:04
Location: South Dakota

March 14 to 15, 2001 · NWS UNR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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 strong storm system developed rapidly over the northern Rockies in the predawn hours of March 14. Copious amounts of moisture were available to this system as it moved across Wyoming and into the Nebraska Panhandle. The low-level thermal structure of the atmosphere was critical in this storm. A mix of rain and snow was anticipated, and indeed a mix of rain and light snow occurred over much of Northeastern Wyoming and Western South Dakota. In the higher elevations of the Black Hills, the precipitation changed to all snow, and remained snow for much of the event. The change-over to snow occurred by 1:00 pm MST in the Black Hills. Over the ensuing 12 hours 7 to 10 inches of snow fell over foothills around the Black Hills, with 10 to 18 inches over the Black Hills. The heaviest snow fell in the Northern Black Hills where 12 to 18 inches fell. Deadwood, SD reported the heaviest total accumulation of 18.7 inches. Strong winds of 20 to 35 mph accompanied this storm and produced considerable blowing and drifting snow through the event.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 14, 9:55 AM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 9:55 AM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Northern Black Hills

When: March 14, 1:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:04 AM MST
Where: Northern Black Hills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.310, -103.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Foot Hills

When: March 14, 1:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:04 AM MST
Where: Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Central Black Hills

When: March 14, 1:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:04 AM MST
Where: Central Black Hills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.841, -103.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Black Hills

When: March 14, 1:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:04 AM MST
Where: Southern Black Hills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fall River Co.

When: March 14, 1:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:04 AM MST
Where: Fall River Co. forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.239, -103.528 (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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, March 2001

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: 5233927, 5233928, 5233929, 5233930, 5233931.