South Dakota, 2002

High Wind in South Dakota, September 18, 2002

September 18, 2002 · NWS UNR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Behind a cold front sustained winds increased to 35 to 45 mph across portions of northwestern South Dakota. The Rapid City airport reported a wind gust to 61 mph along with these sustained winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Behind a cold front sustained winds increased to 35 to 45 mph across portions of northwestern South Dakota. The Rapid City airport reported a wind gust to 61 mph along with these sustained winds.

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 Sep 17, 8:44 PM MST, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 17, 8:44 PM MST, 5 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
944 PM MDT TUE SEP 17 2002

GIVEN CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND RELATIVELY SLOW
MOVEMENT...HAVE ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6AM FOR NORTHERN BLACK
HILLS WITH GRIZZLY GULCH FIRE AREA ONLY TRUE AREA TO WORRY ABOUT.

.UNR...FLOOD WATCH NORTHERN BLACK HILLS TONIGHT
       HIGH WIND WATCH WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR
       NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA PLAINS.

BAILEY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Pennington Co Plains

When
September 18, 1:51 AM MST
Where
Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Harding

When
September 18, 6:56 AM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Measured
39 kt (45 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Meade Co Plains

When
September 18, 9:43 AM MST
Where
Southern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
38 kt (44 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, September 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: 5316650, 5316649, 5316651.