Blizzard and Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 6 to 7, 2008

Name: Blizzard and Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 6 to 7, 2008
Start: 2008-11-06T18:00
End: 2008-11-07T12:00
Location: South Dakota

November 6 to 7, 2008 · NWS FSD · 36 events in 23 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 36 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: 36

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 mostly in the 2 to 4 inch range combined with winds sustained at over 30 mph and gusting as high as 50 mph to produce widespread blizzard conditions with near zero visibilities. The area affected by the blizzard was mostly west of the James River in southeast South Dakota, but extending east of the James River north of Interstate 90, as far east as Brookings and Madison. The blizzard conditions began near the start of the evening hours on November 6th, and continued into the predawn hours of November 7th. Interstate 90 from Mitchell west was closed because of the blizzard, with several motorists being stranded.

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 Nov 6, 4:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 6, 4:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 6, 5:15 AM CST, 12 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
0515 AM CST THU NOV 06 2008

SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-071200-
AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA-
CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE-
DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON-
IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN-
LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN-
OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN-
SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON-
0515 AM CST THU NOV 06 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WINTER WEATHER...
SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA BY
AFTERNOON AND SLOWLY WORK EAST INTO EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA BY EARLY
EVENING. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL COMBINE WITH NORTHWEST WINDS
OF 30 TO 45 MPH TO CREATE BLIZZARD LIKE CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY
WEST OF THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES
WILL BE POSSIBLE EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER. PLEASE USE CAUTION IF
YOU NEED TO TRAVEL ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA TODAY.

WIND AND FOG...
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA
THIS MORNING...THEN SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT. AREAS WEST OF
THE JAMES RIVER WILL SEE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH AT TIMES
WHILE LOCATIONS TO THE EAST WILL SEE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH
BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

ADDITIONAL SNOW FALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL BE
COUPLED WITH A NORTHWEST WIND OF 25 TO 40 MPH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 winter weather, 13 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Brule

When: November 6, 6:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Brule forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.718, -99.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread blizzard conditions resulted from snowfall of 2 to 4 inches combined with winds reaching sustained speeds over 30 mph and gusts around 50 mph. Near zero visibilities in blowing snow made travel almost impossible, even for short distances. Interstate 90 was closed over the county, with several motorists stranded by the blizzard.

Blizzard, Gregory

When: November 6, 6:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Gregory forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.192, -99.186 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Charles Mix

When: November 6, 6:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Charles Mix forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.208, -98.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jerauld

When: November 6, 7:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jerauld forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.066, -98.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Douglas

When: November 6, 7:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.387, -98.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Davison

When: November 6, 7:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread blizzard conditions resulted from snowfall of 2 to 4 inches combined with winds reaching sustained speeds over 30 mph and gusts around 50 mph. Near zero visibilities in blowing snow made travel almost impossible, even for short distances. Interstate 90 was closed from Mitchell west, with several motorists stranded by the blizzard.

Blizzard, Beadle

When: November 6, 8:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Aurora

When: November 6, 8:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Aurora forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.718, -98.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sanborn

When: November 6, 8:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kingsbury

When: November 6, 9:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Kingsbury forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread blizzard conditions resulted from snowfall of 2 to 4 inches combined with winds reaching sustained speeds over 30 mph and gusts around 50 mph. Near zero visibilities in blowing snow made travel almost impossible, even for short distances. The winter weather in the area delayed the last of the harvest, which had been late because of late Spring planting, and further delayed by fall rains.

Blizzard, Miner

When: November 6, 9:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hanson

When: November 6, 9:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Hutchinson

When: November 6, 9:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Blizzard, Brookings

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Brookings forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Miner

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Moody

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Moody forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, McCook

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: McCook forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Minnehaha

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Turner

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Turner forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by increasingly strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Lincoln

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 2 to 4 inches was accompanied by increasingly strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Bon Homme

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Bon Homme forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 1 to 3 inches was accompanied by increasingly strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Yankton

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 1 to 3 inches was accompanied by increasingly strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.

Winter Weather, Clay

When: November 6, 11:00 PM CST to November 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 1 to 3 inches was accompanied by increasingly strong northwest winds. The winds caused areas of blowing snow, with local visibilities around a quarter mile.