High Wind in South Dakota, April 23 to 24, 2002

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, April 23 to 24, 2002
Start: 2002-04-23T18:30
End: 2002-04-24T01:30
Location: South Dakota

April 23 to 24, 2002 · NWS ABR · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

High winds of 35 to 50 mph gusting to over 70 mph occurred across much of central and northeast South Dakota. The strong winds caused some spotty damage to property and trees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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: 22

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 35 to 50 mph gusting to over 70 mph occurred across much of central and northeast South Dakota. The strong winds caused some spotty damage to property and trees. With the dry conditions, dust was stirred up by the winds and caused reduced visibilities at many locations. The highest wind gust was 72 mph at Onida.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 2:30 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 2:30 PM CST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR CENTRAL/N-EAST SD AND W-CENTRAL MN
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
330 PM CDT TUE APR 23 2002

MAIN ISSUE FOR TNT AND WED CENTERS AROUND WINDS...THEN SECONDARILY
PCPN CHANCES. SFC WAVE OVER NW SOUTH DAKOTA EXPECTED TO PICK UP
STEAM AND HEAD INTO NW MN BY 06Z TNT.  AHEAD OF FEATURE IT WILL
CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE BUT OVERALL MOISTURE STILL NOT OVERLY
IMPRESSIVE.  FEEL CONTENT WITH SCT POPS FOR RW/TSRA.  BEHIND SYSTEM
IMPRESSIVE PRESSURE BUBBLE FORMING OVER EASTERN MT AND POISED TO
MOVE INTO CWA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.  JUST OFF SFC WINDS ARE
PROGGED UPWARDS 50 KNOTS.  WILL GO WIND ADVISORY ENTIRE CWA TNT.
NOT YET QUITE SURE ABOUT WEDNESDAY.  MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES REMAIN
VERY STEEP BUT SFC GRADIENT RELAXES A BIT. STILL WILL BE QUITE WINDY
BUT FOR NOW WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY EXTENSION OF ADVISORY FOR WED. REST
OF THE FORECAST UNTIL FRIDAY LOOKS PRETTY BENIGN. FOR FRIDAY HAD TO
INTRODUCE POPS.  SYSTEM EJECTS OUT OF ROCKIES ON A MORE NORTHERN
PATH COMPARED WITH PREVIOUS RUNS.  PCPN TYPE STILL A BIT IFFY AND
THEREFORE HAVE BROADBRUSHED DAYTIME ALL LIQUID WITH SOME MIX AT
NIGHT.  TEMPS WERE A COMPILATION OF IFPS GRIDS...MAV AND FWC MOS AND
ETA 2M TEMPS.

TDK

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
SHORT WAVE TO MOVE ACROSS NEBRASKA AND MINNESOTA SATURDAY. THE
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH KANSAS AND INTO
EASTERN IOWA BY EVENING.  PLENTY OF WRAP AROUND MOISTURE TO GENERATE
SOME PRECIP OVER THE CWA.  UPPER LONG WAVE LOW WILL SETTLE IN OVER
THE DAKOTAS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. AT THE
SURFACE...WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS WILL DOMINATE THE CWA AND
CONTINUE THE MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES.  500MB THICKNESS WILL DROP TO 534
OVER THE CWA BY SATURDAY AND REMAIN BETWEEN 543 AND 531 THROUGH
TUESDAY.  THEREFORE EXPECT TEMPS TO REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE
FORECAST PERIOD.

GS

.ABR...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT ENTIRE CWA.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Corson

When: April 23, 6:30 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dewey

When: April 23, 6:43 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stanley

When: April 23, 6:45 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jones

When: April 23, 6:45 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Campbell

When: April 23, 6:49 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Campbell forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Walworth

When: April 23, 6:49 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lyman

When: April 23, 7:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hughes

When: April 23, 7:17 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sully

When: April 23, 7:17 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Buffalo

When: April 23, 7:30 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Potter

When: April 23, 7:30 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hand

When: April 23, 7:30 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hyde

When: April 23, 7:45 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McPherson

When: April 23, 7:45 PM CST to 10:30 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When: April 23, 8:09 PM CST to 11:30 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Edmunds

When: April 23, 8:10 PM CST to 10:30 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Spink

When: April 23, 8:10 PM CST to 11:30 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Day

When: April 23, 8:30 PM CST to April 24, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Faulk

When: April 23, 9:12 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Marshall

When: April 23, 10:27 PM CST to April 24, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roberts

When: April 23, 10:30 PM CST to April 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Measured: 44 kt (51 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grant

When: April 24, 12:30 AM CST to 1:30 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.172, -96.768 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, April 2002

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: 5293717, 5293718, 5293721, 5293722, 5293716, 5293720, 5293723, 5293724, 5293725, 5293715, 5293719, 5293731, 5293726, 5293727, 5293732, 5293728, 5293730, 5293733, 5293729, 5293734, 5293736, 5293735.