High Wind, Perkins
- When
- January 4, 12:09 AM MST to 1:09 AM MST
- Where
- Perkins forecast zone
- Measured
- 43 kt (49 mph) measured sustained
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in South Dakota, January 4, 2003
A strong cold front moved through western South Dakota early in the morning. As the front passed through, a tight pressure gradient developed and strong winds aloft were able to reach the surface.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 moved through western South Dakota early in the morning. As the front passed through, a tight pressure gradient developed and strong winds aloft were able to reach the surface. This resulted in very strong and gusty winds across northwestern South Dakota, where winds were sustained at 40 to 50 mph and gusts reached 60 to 70 mph. The strongest winds were recorded at Buffalo in Harding County, which had a maximum sustained wind speed of 64 mph and a peak gust of 84 mph.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Harding
- When
- January 4, 12:56 AM MST to 2:55 AM MST
- Where
- Harding forecast zone
- Measured
- 73 kt (84 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains
- When
- January 4, 4:35 AM MST to 4:48 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Pennington Co Plains
- When
- January 4, 4:52 AM MST to 7:00 AM MST
- Where
- Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern Meade Co Plains
- When
- January 4, 4:55 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Butte
- When
- January 4, 5:00 AM MST to 7:00 AM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Hermosa Foothills
- When
- January 4, 5:30 AM MST
- Where
- Hermosa Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Ziebach
- When
- January 4, 5:33 AM MST
- Where
- Ziebach forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Sturgis / Piedmont Foothills
- When
- January 4, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Sturgis / Piedmont Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Rapid City
- When
- January 4, 6:05 AM MST
- Where
- Rapid City forecast zone
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Haakon
- When
- January 4, 6:20 AM MST to 6:22 AM MST
- Where
- Haakon forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 44.294, -101.540 (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
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 4, 2003
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 4, 2003
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 4, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, January 4, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, January 4, 2003
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 4, 2003
- High Wind in Hawaii, January 4 to 5, 2003
- Winter Storm in Maine, January 4 to 5, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Maine, January 4 to 5, 2003
- Winter Weather in New York, January 4, 2003
- Blizzard in Maine, January 4 to 5, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, January 4, 2003
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, January 2003
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5341101, 5341100, 5341103, 5341107, 5341105, 5341102, 5341110, 5341104, 5341109, 5341106, 5341108.