Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 30 to 31, 2008

Name: Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 30 to 31, 2008
Start: 2008-03-30T14:00
End: 2008-03-31T08:00
Location: South Dakota

March 30 to 31, 2008 · NWS UNR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong storm system developed across the central Rockies and moved across the central Plains. The storm produced six to ten inches of snow over south central South Dakota, with the highest accumulations across southern Todd and southern Tripp Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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 30, 1:32 PM MST, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 1:32 PM MST, 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
230 AP MDT SUN MAR 30 2008

.DISCUSSION...AT 19Z SFC MAP SHOWS WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRES
EXTENDING FM CENTRAL ND SE THRU SE SD. SFC LOW RESIDES OVER
NW COLORADO. ALOFT UPPER TROF MVG INTO WRN MT WITH WK 700MB
LOW DEVELOPING IN WRN WY. AHEAD OF 700MB LOW AREA OF STRONG
ISENTROP LIFT PRODUCING AREA OF SNOW ACRS ERN WY/NRN HALF
OF WRN NEB AND INTO SRN PORTIONS OF WRN SD. A FEW LOCALIZED
AREAS IN HEAVIER BANDS MAY SEE AND INCH OR TWO OF SNOW THRU
00Z TONIGHT.

TONIGHT...700MB LOW WILL DRIFT ESE AND INTENSIFY IN ERN WY.
AS THIS HAPPENS AREA OF STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT WL MOVE OVER
SWRN AND ESP SOUTH CENTRAL SD PRODUCING AREA OF MODERATE TO
HEAVY SNOW ACRS SRN PORTIONS OF WRN SD. FM SRN CAMPBELL COUNTY
EAST THRU CUSTER COUNTY TO HAAKON COUNTY AND AREA JUST TO N
ISENTROPIC LIFT NOT AS STRONG AND THUS EXPECT A MORE GENERAL
LIGHT SNOW. HAVE ISSUED WSW FOR SOUTH CENTRAL SD TONIGHT THRU
MIDDAY MONDAY AND SNOW ADV FOR SWRN SD/SRN BLACK HILLS AND
AREAS JUST TO NORTH OF WSW FOR 3-5 INCHES. WILL CONT WSW AND
ADVISORY THRU 18Z MON WHEN PCPN SHOULD HAVE MOVED EAST.

ON MON...700MB LOW WL MOVE QUICK EAST INTO MINN AS A SECONDARY
500/700 MB LOW DVLPS ACRS NERN WY. WOULD NOT EXPECT MUCH IN
WAY OF SNOW OVER MOST AREAS THRU EARLY MON AFT...THOUGH SCT
LIGHT SNOW SHLD BE AROUND ALL DAY. SOME ACCUM SNOWS STILL LIKELY
IN AM HOURS...ESP IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL SD. TEMPS WILL BE
WELL BELOW NORMS WITH 30S ON PLAINS AND 20S IN BLACK HILLS.

MON AFT/EVENING SNOW WILL DVLP OVER NERN WY/BLACK HILLS AS
TRAILING 500/700 MB DVLPS IN NERN WY. DEPENDING ON WHERE AREA
OF CONVERGENCE SET UP...THERE WILL LIKELY BE A BAND OF HEAVY
SNOW IN THE NERN WY/BLACK HILLS REGION MON AFT INTO MON EVENING.
CURRENT GUID HAS THIS IN NERN WY AT THIS TIME. WINTER STORM
WATCH FOR 18Z MON THRU 06Z TUES SHOULD COVER SITUATION FOR NOW.

TUES...WL BE ANOTHER COLD DAY WITH TEMPS WELL BELOW SEASONAL
NORM AS HIGH TEMPS HAVE HAD TIME PUSHING 40. ANOTHER WK S/W WL
MOVE ACRS REGION IN AFT/EVENING BRINGING A LOW CHC OF SNOW
SHOWERS IN NERN WY/BLACK HILLS TUES AFT/NIGHT AND ON SOUTH
DAKOTA PLAINS TUES NIGHT.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 900 PM MDT TONIGHT UNTIL 1200 PM MDT
     TUESDAY FOR TODD/TRIPP/MELLETTE/JACKSON AND BENNETT COUNTIES.
  ...SNOW ADVISORY FROM 600 PM MDT TONIGHT UNTIL 1200 PM MDT TUESDAY
     FOR CUSTER...FALL RIVER AND SHANNON COUNTIES.
  ...SNOW ADVISORY FROM 900 PM MDT TONIGHT UNTIL 1200 PM MDT TUESDAY
     FOR HAAKON COUNTY AND THE PENNINGTON COUNTY PLAINS.
  ...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MIDDAY TUESDAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT TUESDAY
     NIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL BLACK HILLS AND THE NORTHERN
     FOOTHILLS.
WY...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MIDDAY TUESDAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT TUESDAY
     NIGHT FOR CAMPBELL/CROOK AND WESTON COUNTIES.
  ...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MIDDAY TUESDAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT TUESDAY
     NIGHT FOR THE WYOMING BLACK HILLS.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 30, 3:18 AM MST, 10 hours 42 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
418 AM MDT SUN MAR 30 2008

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-311300-
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-
418 AM MDT (518 AM CDT) SUN MAR 30 2008

...WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND MOST OF WESTER SOUTH DAKOTA...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING
AND SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON...AND THEN OVERSPREAD
THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH MOST AREAS WILL SEE
SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT...THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL LIKELY
FALL SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 IN SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE SEVERAL INCHES MAY
ACCUMULATE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY
EVENING...THEN DIMINISH BE TUESDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL
LIKELY FALL MONDAY EVENING ACROSS NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND THE BLACK
HILLS AREA WHERE SEVERAL MORE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE.

.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

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jackson

When: March 30, 2:00 PM MST to March 31, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bennett

When: March 30, 2:00 PM MST to March 31, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Bennett forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.195, -101.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mellette

When: March 30, 4:00 PM CST to March 31, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Mellette forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.581, -100.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Todd

When: March 30, 4:00 PM CST to March 31, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tripp

When: March 30, 6:00 PM CST to March 31, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Tripp forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.346, -99.884 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, March 2008

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: 87128, 87129, 87131, 87132, 87134.