Runoff from melting snow caused minor flooding across northwestern South Dakota.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.
Runoff from melting snow caused minor flooding across northwestern South Dakota.
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 16, 9:00 AM MST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 1000 AM MDT WED MAR 16 2011 .DISCUSSION...LATEST OBS FROM THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS HAVE BEEN SHOWING SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING UP TO AROUND 45 KT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW STRONG DOWNSLOPING WINDS WILL LAST ANOTHER COUPLE HOURS...BUT THEN DECREASE AS WINDS SHIFT MORE WEST/NORTHWESTERLY BY AROUND NOON. HAVE UPDATED THE PACKAGE TO INCREASE WINDS AND HAVE ALSO ISSUED SPSUNR TO FURTHER HIGHLIGHT STRONG WINDS. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF TODAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 232 AM MDT WED MAR 16 2011/ DISCUSSION...LATEST OBSERVATIONS REVEALED A STRONG JET PUNCHING INTO THE NWRN US WITH PLENTY OF HIGH-LEVEL MOISTURE STREAMING TOWARD THE AREA. A LEE SFC TROUGH AND 2-4 MB/3HR PRESSURE FALLS OVER THE NRN PLAINS WERE RESULTING IN A MILD NIGHT WITH BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS IN PLACES. TRENDS AND UPSTREAM SOUNDINGS POINT TO A VERY WARM DAY TODAY...TEMPERED SOMEWHAT BY DIFFUSE CLOUD COVER. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH THEY DIFFER SOMEWHAT ON QPF. THE JET STREAM WILL BE THE WEATHER FOCUS THE NEXT TWO DAYS...BRINGING TWO FAST- MOVING WAVES ACROSS THE AREA. NOT MUCH IS EXPECTED TODAY OTHER THAN A FEW AFTN SHOWERS OVER NERN WY/FAR WRN SD AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE AREA. TONIGHT THE FIRST JET STREAK WILL CROSS THE CWA... RESULTING IN A STRONG AND DEEP FRONTOGENESIS SIGNATURE AS WELL AS 700MB WARM-AIR ADVECTION. WITH PWATS APPROACHING 180-200 PERCENT OF AVERAGE...HAVE GONE LIKELY POPS FOR MUCH OF THE CWA. SREF GUIDANCE INDICATES MOSTLY RAIN...WITH SNOW EXPECTED AFTER 06Z OVER NERN WY/ NWRN SD/BLKHLS...WHERE 1-2 INCHES OF SLUSHY SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. THERE WILL BE A RELATIVE LULL ON THURSDAY AS THE FIRST WAVE MOVES EAST...BUT WITH COLD-AIR ADVECTION ALOFT...STEEPENING LAPSE RATES IN THE LOW-LEVELS...AND SBCAPE NEAR 50 J/KG...THERE SHOULD BE SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. A SECOND JET STREAK WILL TRACK ACROSS THE CWA THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH A ROBUST FRONTOGENESIS SIGNATURE ONCE AGAIN...BUT THIS TIME FARTHER SOUTH. THUS HAVE REDUCED POPS OVER THE NORTH AND RAISED THEM TOWARD THE SD/NEB BORDER. THERE MAY BE 1-2 INCHES OF WET SNOW OVER FAR SWRN/SRN SECTIONS OF THE AREA. ON FRIDAY THE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST WITH SOME LINGERING MRNG PRECIP. OTHERWISE RIDGING AND CLEARING WILL DEVELOP WITH RETURN SOUTHERLY FLOW LATER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. EXTENDED...THE DAY 4 AND 5 FORECAST START OUT WITH THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. AND A BIG TROUGH OFF THE WEST COAST MOVING SLOWLY ONSHORE. CONTINUITY BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF STARTS TO BREAK DOWN BY DAY 6 WITH THE GFS SHEARING OFF A STRONG SHORT WAVE FROM THE BASE OF THE WEST COAST TROUGH AND MOVING IT RAPIDLY INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY TUESDAY MORNING. THIS APPEARS TO BE INCONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS RUNS. THE ECMWF SHOWS A MUCH WEAKER IMPULSE WHICH MOVES OUT LATER...BUT CATCHES UP WITH THE GFS BY LATE IN DAY 7. AS A RESULT THE GFS APPEARS TO BE TOO AGGRESSIVE WITH THE PRECIPITATION COVERAGE FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. HAVE TRIMMED THE POPS FOR THESE PERIODS TO MATCH UP WITH SURROUNDING FORECAST AREAS. DIDN'T CHANGE TEMPS MUCH FROM PREVIOUS FORECASTS. AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WILL REEVALUATE THE LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR FOR KRAP FOR THE 12Z UPDATE AND MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE IT OUT BY MID MORNING. HYDROLOGY...RIVER FLOODING DUE TO SNOWMELT AND ICE JAMS WILL PERSIST TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND AS NEAR-AVERAGE TO ABOVE-AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUE. THE WHITE...CHEYENNE...AND BAD RIVERS WILL EXPERIENCE THE BULK OF THE FLOODING THE NEXT 1-2 DAYS...BUT FLOODING ON THE GRAND AND MOREAU RIVERS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE. SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MAY BRING A FEW TENTHS OF RAINFALL...WHICH WOULD CONTRIBUTE A MINOR AMOUNT TO FLOODING AND SNOWMELT. && .UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. WY...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 540 AM MDT WED MAR 16 2011 SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058- 071-171300- 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- 540 AM MDT (640 AM CDT) WED MAR 16 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WARM WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN RIVER FLOODING FROM ICE JAMS AND SNOWMELT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWESTERN THROUGH SOUTH-CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA TODAY THROUGH THE REST OF THIS WEEK. SEE THE LATEST FLOOD WARNING PRODUCTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN SHOWERS TO THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH RAIN AND SNOW OVER NORTHEASTERN WYOMING...THE BLACK HILLS...AND NORTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. A FEW INCHES OF SLUSHY SNOW MAY FALL OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN THESE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL CROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY. IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING SUBSTANTIAL RAIN AND SNOW TO THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS...BUT AT THIS TIME MUCH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IN THE TIMING...LOCATION...AND STRENGTH OF THE STORM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. BUNKERS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 920 AM MDT WED MAR 16 2011 SDZ025-072-161800- NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS- 920 AM MDT WED MAR 16 2011 ...STRONG WINDS THIS MORNING... STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS INTO THE STURGIS AREA THIS MORNING. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE UNTIL NOON MDT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several county roads were closed due to flooding.
Several county roads were closed due to flooding.
Flooding occurred along the South Fork of the Moreau River.
Flooding occurred along the Moreau River and Cherry Creek. A BIA road northwest of Cherry Creek was covered by water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2011
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: 284945, 284946, 284948, 284947.