High Wind in South Dakota, March 6, 2005

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, March 6, 2005
Start: 2005-03-06T13:00
End: 2005-03-06T20:00
Location: South Dakota

March 6, 2005 · NWS UNR · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A strong cold front moved across western South Dakota during the daytime hours, bringing gusty winds to the northwest South Dakota plains. Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph, with gusts to near 65 mph, developed from Buffalo and Lemmon to Rapid City and Philip.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: 10

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.

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 Mar 6, 9:35 AM MST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 9:35 AM MST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 6, 4:31 AM MST, 8 hours 29 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
431 AM MST SUN MAR 6 2005

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-071400-
BENNETT-BUTTE-CENTRAL BLACK HILLS-CUSTER CO PLAINS-FALL RIVER-HAAKON-
HARDING-HERMOSA FOOT HILLS-JACKSON-MELLETTE-NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN CAMPBELL-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-
NORTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-PENNINGTON CO PLAINS-PERKINS-RAPID CITY-
SHANNON-SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS-SOUTHERN CAMPBELL-SOUTHERN FOOT HILLS-
SOUTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS-TODD-TRIPP-
WESTERN CROOK-WESTON-WYOMING BLACK HILLS-ZIEBACH-
431 AM MST (531 AM CST) SUN MAR 6 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL BRING VERY GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR ACROSS
NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A
HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA
GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 90...AS WELL AS FOR EXTREME
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA...GENERALLY SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 90. IN ADDITION...THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER ACROSS WESTERN
SOUTH DAKOTA WILL REACH THE EXTREME CATEGORY THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Perkins

When: March 6, 1:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Perkins forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Butte

When: March 6, 1:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Butte forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Foot Hills

When: March 6, 1:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Foot Hills forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains

When: March 6, 2:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haakon

When: March 6, 2:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Haakon forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rapid City

When: March 6, 3:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where: Rapid City forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pennington Co Plains

When: March 6, 3:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where: Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sturgis / Piedmont Foothills

When: March 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where: Sturgis / Piedmont Foothills forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Meade Co Plains

When: March 6, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ziebach

When: March 6, 4:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Ziebach forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.980, -101.666 (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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, March 2005

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: 5440581, 5440582, 5440585, 5440583, 5440588, 5440586, 5440587, 5440589, 5440590, 5440584.