High Wind in South Dakota, February 11, 2002

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, February 11, 2002
Start: 2002-02-11T09:46
End: 2002-02-11T14:25
Location: South Dakota

February 11, 2002 · NWS UNR · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A strong cold front rapidly pushed across Western South Dakota in the pre-dawn and early morning hours. A strong surface pressure gradient existed behind this front along with rapid pressure rises.

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 UNR wrote it up.

A strong cold front rapidly pushed across Western South Dakota in the pre-dawn and early morning hours. A strong surface pressure gradient existed behind this front along with rapid pressure rises. Strong low-level subsidence allowed strong low-level winds to reach the surface. Across much of Northwestern South Dakota high winds were noted with sustained winds in excess of 40 mph and gusts measured to 70 mph.

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 Feb 11, 3:00 AM MST, 6 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 3:00 AM MST, 6 hours 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
300 AM MST MON FEB 11 2002

LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS STRONG SHORTWAVE MOVING SOUTHWARD
INTO MONTANA/ND THIS MORNING WITH WAA CLOUDS EXTENDING ACROSS THE
DAKOTAS PLAINS. STRONG SUBSIDENCE EVIDENT BEHIND THIS FEATURE.
ETA/AVN ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT AND SHOW SFC COLD FRONT CROSSING NRN
ZONES SHORTLY AFT 12Z...AND THROUGH SRN ZONES BY EARLY AFTN.

TEMPERATURE OF 52 DEGREES AT THE WFO CURRENTLY THIS MORNING
INDICATES WARM AIR JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE...AS SEEN IN THE 06Z ETA
850MB TEMPS OF +12. MIXING SHOULD PUSH HIGH TEMPERATURES TO THE MID
50S FOR MUCH OF THE CWA THIS MORNING...BEFORE THE LL CAA REALLY
PICKS UP AND TEMPS FALL THIS AFTN. INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE
CAA WILL ALLOW STRONG WINDS TO DEVELOP BEFORE NOON ACROSS NW
SD...THEN SPREAD SEWRD. MAY ALSO SEE SOME UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS OVER
THE NORTHERN BLACK HILLS THIS AFTN AND EVENING AS INSTABILITY AND RH
INCREASE.

BUFKIT ETA SOUNDINGS SHOW DEEP LAYER OF 50-60KT WINDS JUST OFF THE
SURFACE...WITH 65KTS AT 850 MB ACROSS NWRN SD AROUND 15Z.
ISALLOBARIC AND GEOSTROPHIC WINDS HAVE BECOME MORE PARALLEL...WITH
925MB GEOSTROPHIC SPEEDS AT 55 TO 60KTS. THEREFORE...BELIEVE THE
PREVIOUSLY ISSUED HWW STILL LOOKS GOOD...AND WILL ADD A WIND
ADVISORY FOR SC AND PORTIONS OF SW SD TODAY.

STRONG WINDS BEGIN TO DIMINISH TONIGHT...BUT WINDY CONDITIONS AND
CAA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT...LEADING TO A BREEZY AND COOLER
TUESDAY. WAA RETURNS OVER NE WYOMING AND THE BLACK HILLS ON TUESDAY
NIGHT AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES ON
WEDNESDAY WILL BOUNCE BACK UP...AHEAD OF A WEAK AND DRY COLD FRONT
PASSING THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

EXTENDED...NEARLY ZONAL FLOW SHOULD BRING FAIRLY QUIET WEATHER TO
THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND NEAR TO SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS. MRF IS NOW SHOWING A STORM SYSTEM CRANKING UP
OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON SUNDAY AND HEADING NORTHEAST. THEREFORE
HAVE INCLUDED A CHANCE OF SNOW AND LOWERED TEMPS FOR ALL ZONES ON
SUNDAY.

.UNR...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY FOR NORTHWESTERN SOUTH
         DAKOTA...GENERALLY NORTH OF I-90.
    ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF
         SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...GENERALLY SOUTH OF I-90.

GR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Perkins

When: February 11, 9:46 AM MST to 11:13 AM MST
Where: Perkins forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Harding

When: February 11, 9:56 AM MST to 12:34 PM MST
Where: Harding forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pennington Plains / E Pennington

When: February 11, 10:58 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Pennington Plains / E Pennington forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ziebach

When: February 11, 11:06 AM MST
Where: Ziebach forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Butte / Except X Sw Butte

When: February 11, 11:30 AM MST to 11:43 AM MST
Where: Butte / Except X Sw Butte forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Custer Plains / X E Custer

When: February 11, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Custer Plains / X E Custer forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haakon

When: February 11, 12:55 PM MST to 1:16 PM MST
Where: Haakon forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jackson

When: February 11, 1:00 PM MST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Foot Hills / N Lawrence / X Sw Butte / Part of Sw Meade

When: February 11, 1:30 PM MST
Where: Northern Foot Hills / N Lawrence / X Sw Butte / Part of Sw Meade forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Tripp

When: February 11, 1:41 PM MST to 2:25 PM MST
Where: Tripp forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.346, -99.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mellette

When: February 11, 2:00 PM MST
Where: Mellette forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.581, -100.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Todd

When: February 11, 2:22 PM MST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.193, -100.718 (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, February 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: 5280450, 5280449, 5280455, 5280452, 5280451, 5280454, 5280456, 5280558, 5280453, 5280561, 5280559, 5280560.