Heavy Snow in South Dakota, February 22 to 23, 2012

Name: Heavy Snow in South Dakota, February 22 to 23, 2012
Start: 2012-02-22T23:00
End: 2012-02-23T12:00
Location: South Dakota

February 22 to 23, 2012 · NWS ABR · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

An area of low pressure sliding across the region brought heavy snow to much of central and north central South Dakota. Travel became difficult with many schools cancelled.

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 ABR wrote it up.

An area of low pressure sliding across the region brought heavy snow to much of central and north central South Dakota. Travel became difficult with many schools cancelled. Some of the snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at Timber Lake and Miller; 7 inches at Roscoe and near Gann Valley; 8 inches at the Shambo Ranch; 9 inches at Harrold; 10 inches northwest of Highmore and Gettysburg; and 11 inches at Agar.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 10:15 PM CST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 10:15 PM CST, 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
1015 PM CST WED FEB 22 2012

.UPDATE...
HAVE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST THIS EVENING. CURRENT
MODEL RUNS ARE COMING IN AND SHOWING THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR
ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL TO NOW BE FURTHER WEST THAN PREVIOUSLY
THOUGHT. THEREFORE...HAVE SHIFTED THE WINTER STORM WARNING TO THE
WEST AND HAVE STUCK WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AROUND IT. NO
HEADLINES CURRENTLY IN PLACE FROM THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY EASTWARD.
ALSO LOWERED SNOW AMOUNTS JUST A BIT...BUT WILL LIKELY SEE SOME
CONCERNS ONCE THE WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE.

&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT
FORECAST CHALLENGES INCLUDE A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW TONIGHT INTO
THURSDAY ALONG WITH STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATE-INDUCED SNOW
SHOWERS ON FRIDAY.

CURRENTLY...WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BARRELING TOWARD THE
NORTHERN CWA TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED INTO THE 30S AND 40S ACROSS
MUCH OF THE CWA WITH SOME LOW 50S CREEPING INTO THE FAR
SOUTHWESTERN ZONES.

WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES ARE OUT FOR AN ADVISORY AND A WARNING FOR
THIS AREA OF LOW PRESSURE COMING THROUGH TONIGHT. IT IS EXPECTED
TO PACK QUITE A COMPACT PUNCH AS FAR AS LIFT/FORCING AND
INSTABILITY GOES. EVERYTHING IS POINTING TOWARD A BAND OF HEAVY
PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING BY LATE THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
SOUTH DAKOTA EXPANDING SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY
LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. P-TYPE GIVEN HOW WARM IT IS
RIGHT NOW WILL LIKELY START OUT AS RAIN THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO SNOW. ONCE THE HEAVY
BAND OF PRECIPITATION DEVELOPS TONIGHT...THE INTENSITY OF THE
LIFT AND FORCING TONIGHT SHOULD BE ABLE TO OVERCOME SURFACE
TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING AND THE SWITCH FROM RAIN TO SNOW COULD
OCCUR EVEN BEFORE SURFACE SKIN TEMPS FALL BELOW 32 DEGREES. THERE
IS A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINING AS TO JUST WHERE THIS NARROW
HEAVY BAND OF PRECIPITATION DEVELOPS. IF THE ACTUAL PLACEMENT IS
OFF BY 25 MILES...THE CURRENT AREAL COVERAGE OF WINTER HEADLINES
WILL BE IN JEOPARDY. THE LIFT AND INSTABILITY IS GOING TO BE SO
STRONG...THUNDERSNOW IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT...ALONG WITH SNOWFALL
RATES OF 1 TO 3 INCHES AN HOUR UNDER THE HEAVIEST BANDED SNOW.

POPS WERE LEFT IN FOR SNOW SHOWERS ON FRIDAY PER CONTINUED
FORECAST STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES. NO CHANGES MADE TO THE REST
OF THE SHORT TERM FORECAST.

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THE MAIN FORECAST ISSUE WILL BE THIS WEEKENDS SYSTEM. THE LATEST
SUITE OF LONG TERM MODELS HAVE BEGUN A NORTHWARD TREND. THIS
PLACES THE MAIN BAROCLINIC BAND OF PCPN ON SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT
NORTH OF THE CWA...WITH JUST SOME WRAPAROUND SNOW INTO THE
NORTHERN CWA. ALSO...THE NORTHWARD TREND HELPS KEEP TEMPERATURES
WARMER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. SO...FOR NOW ANYWAY THE CHANCES OF
A MAJOR STORM HAVE DIMINISHED. BUT THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF TIME
FOR THE MODELS TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS. THUS...GIVEN THE FORECAST
UNCERTAINTY...BASICALLY FOLLOWED THE BLEND OF ALL MODELS FOR THE
FORECAST WHICH PRETTY MUCH LEFT THINGS AS IS. TEMPERATURES SHOULD
FAVOR NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL THIS WEEKEND...TRENDING TO BELOW NORMAL
EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
00Z TAFS FOR THE KABR...KATY...KPIR AND KMBG TERMINALS

VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. LATER
TONIGHT...A SYSTEM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE...LIKELY
BRINGING SOME PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR VSBYS AND CIGS. THE
PRECIPITATION COULD START AS A MIX ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF
THE CWA BUT THEN WILL TRANSITION TO ALL SNOW BY LATE TONIGHT. THE
SNOW INTENSITY WILL TAPER OFF TO JUST SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW
SHOWERS OR FLURRIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

&&

.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST /11 AM MST/ THURSDAY FOR
     BUFFALO-CAMPBELL-CORSON-DEWEY-HUGHES-HYDE-POTTER-SULLY-
     WALWORTH.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST /11 AM MST/ THURSDAY FOR
     EDMUNDS-FAULK-HAND-JONES-LYMAN-MCPHERSON-STANLEY.

MN...NONE.
&&

UPDATE...PARKIN
SHORT TERM...DORN
LONG TERM...TDK
AVIATION...PARKIN

WEATHER.GOV/ABERDEEN

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 22, 3:40 PM CST, 7 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
340 PM CST WED FEB 22 2012

MNZ039-046-SDZ007-008-021-033-045-048-232145-
TRAVERSE-BIG STONE-MARSHALL-ROBERTS-GRANT-STANLEY-JONES-LYMAN-
340 PM CST WED FEB 22 2012 /240 PM MST WED FEB 22 2012/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO THE REGION OVERNIGHT.
BEGINNING FIRST AS RAIN...THEN SWITCHING OVER TO SNOW LATE. SOME
ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY
NIGHT...WITH SNOW POSSIBLE AT THAT TIME. IT IS TOO EARLY TO
PREDICT SNOW AMOUNTS GIVEN HIGH FORECAST UNCERTAINTY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

SDZ003>006-009>011-015>020-022-023-034>037-051-232145-
CORSON-CAMPBELL-MCPHERSON-BROWN-WALWORTH-EDMUNDS-DAY-DEWEY-POTTER-
FAULK-SPINK-CLARK-CODINGTON-HAMLIN-DEUEL-SULLY-HUGHES-HYDE-HAND-
BUFFALO-
340 PM CST WED FEB 22 2012 /240 PM MST WED FEB 22 2012/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL SOUTH
DAKOTA...NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

PRECIPITATION WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE LATE
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN AS
RAIN BUT THEN CHANGE OVER QUICKLY TO SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. LOCALLY
HEAVY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY
NIGHT...WITH SNOW POSSIBLE AT THAT TIME. IT IS TOO EARLY TO
PREDICT SNOW AMOUNTS GIVEN HIGH FORECAST UNCERTAINTY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Corson

When: February 22, 11:00 PM CST to February 23, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dewey

When: February 22, 11:00 PM CST to February 23, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Potter

When: February 22, 11:00 PM CST to February 23, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sully

When: February 22, 11:00 PM CST to February 23, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Edmunds

When: February 22, 11:00 PM CST to February 23, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hughes

When: February 23, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Faulk

When: February 23, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hyde

When: February 23, 1:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hand

When: February 23, 1:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Buffalo

When: February 23, 1:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, February 2012

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: 366742, 366743, 366744, 366746, 366752, 366747, 366748, 366749, 366750, 366751.