South Dakota, 2013

Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 8 to 11, 2013

April 8 to 11, 2013 · NWS ABR · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

A large slow moving upper level low pressure area moving across the region brought several rounds of heavy snow to much of central and northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts from 6 to as much as 22 inches occurred over the several day period.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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.

A large slow moving upper level low pressure area moving across the region brought several rounds of heavy snow to much of central and northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts from 6 to as much as 22 inches occurred over the several day period. Travel became difficult if not impossible with some roads closed for a time. Interstate-90 was closed the evening of the 9th. Many schools were also closed across the region. Additionally, a 66 year old male suffered a heart attack and passed away while shoveling the snow in front of his house in Aberdeen.

Snowfall amounts included; 6 inches south of Bristol, west of Eagle Butte, Doland, Elm Lake, Ipswich, Groton, Raymond, and Sisseton; 7 inches at Castlewood, Aberdeen, Kidder, and Stratford; 8 inches at Miller, Waubay, 5 miles west of Mission Ridge, Hayti, and Turton; 9 inches at Bath, Clark, Wilmot, and Gann Valley; 10 inches south of Harrold, Watertown, Milbank, and Mellette and 11 inches at Bryant and Murdo. Locations with a foot or more of snow included; 12 inches at Summit, 14 inches at Onida, Clear Lake, and Kennebec; 16 inches at Ree Heights, 18 inches at Highmore and 22 inches east of Hayes.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Hand

When
April 8, 2:00 AM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hand forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sully

When
April 8, 6:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Sully forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hughes

When
April 8, 6:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hughes forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dewey

When
April 8, 7:00 PM CST to April 10, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Dewey forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stanley

When
April 8, 7:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Stanley forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lyman

When
April 8, 7:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lyman forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hyde

When
April 8, 7:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hyde forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Buffalo

When
April 8, 7:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Buffalo forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jones

When
April 8, 8:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Jones forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Potter

When
April 8, 8:00 PM CST to April 10, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Potter forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Codington

When
April 10, 7:00 PM CST to April 11, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Codington forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hamlin

When
April 10, 7:00 PM CST to April 11, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hamlin forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Deuel

When
April 10, 7:00 PM CST to April 11, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Deuel forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Spink

When
April 10, 8:00 PM CST to April 11, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Spink forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clark

When
April 10, 8:00 PM CST to April 11, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grant

When
April 10, 8:00 PM CST to April 11, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When
April 10, 9:00 PM CST to April 11, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Day

When
April 10, 10:00 PM CST to April 11, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Day forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marshall

When
April 11, 12:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Roberts

When
April 11, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where
Roberts forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Winter Storm, Brown2013-04-1166MalePermanent HomeIndirect

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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, April 2013

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 448841, 448831, 448832, 448823, 448824, 448834, 448835, 448837, 448825, 448828, 448856, 448857, 448861, 448852, 448855, 448860, 448845, 448854, 448853, 448859.