South Dakota, 2002

Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 9, 2002

February 9, 2002 · NWS FSD · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Snowfall of 2 to 6 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities.

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.

Snowfall of 2 to 6 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities. Some businesses closed early.

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS
345 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

CLASSIC DEVELOPMENTAL STORM...BUT HARD TO REALLY PIN DOWN ON EXACTLY
WHERE AND HOW MUCH SNOW IN CWA...AS NOTHING IS GOING ON ANYWHERE
RIGHT NOW. LOW SFC AND ALOFT COLLAPSING SWD IN NEB ATTM...WITH LOW
LVL COLD AIR LURKING TO N FLWG SUIT...WHICH SHOULD SET UP
FRONTOGENETIC ZONE FM NE TO SW IN CWA BY AFTN. ENOUGH MOISTURE
INFLOW FM SSE AND WITH CONSIDERABLE DYNAMIC AND EVAP COOLING...
SNOW SHOULD EXPLODE FM W TO E IN CWA THRU THE AFTN. WILL SLOW DOWN
FM PREV FCST SOME AS SYS SOMEWHAT SLOW TO EVOLVE. NASTY NLY GRADIENT
SHOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLWG SNW THIS AFTN INTO TNGT. MADE SOME
CHGS TO EXTD TEMPS MON THRU WED TO GO ALG WITH LATEST TRENDS. SEEMS
GUID HAS A LIT BIT OF WARM BIAS IF EXPCD NEW SNOW COVER TURNS OUT.

.FSD...WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE MRNG THRU EARLY EVE JAMES RIVER WEST
       WNTR STORM WRNG  AFTN THRU EVE  SERN SD TO FAR SWRN MN
       WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE AFTN THRU TNGT RMDR SWRN MN TO NWRN IA
RYRHOLM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Bon Homme

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Bon Homme forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brookings

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Brookings forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clay

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hutchinson

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Hutchinson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lake

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, McCook

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Minnehaha

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Moody

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Turner

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Yankton

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Yankton forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.009, -97.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Union

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to 11:00 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

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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5283665, 5283666, 5283667, 5283668, 5283669, 5283670, 5283671, 5283672, 5283673, 5283674, 5283676, 5283675.