Winter Storm, Butte
- When
- December 2, 10:00 PM MST to December 4, 12:00 AM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
An Arctic cold front and upper level storm system moved across the northern Plains, bringing heavy snow, gusty winds, and very cold temperatures. The heaviest snow fell across northwestern South Dakota, where six to 12 inches of accumulation was reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
An Arctic cold front and upper level storm system moved across the northern Plains, bringing heavy snow, gusty winds, and very cold temperatures. The heaviest snow fell across northwestern South Dakota, where six to 12 inches of accumulation was reported. Pockets of heavy snow were also reported over southwestern and south central South Dakota. Gusty winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibilities greatly at times.
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 Dec 2, 8:54 PM MST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD 624 AM MST MON DEC 2 2013 SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058- 071-031400- 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- 624 AM MST (724 AM CST) MON DEC 2 2013 ...WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING...THE BLACK HILLS...AND NORTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND NORTHERN PLAINS EARLY THIS WEEK...BRINGING MUCH COLDER AIR AND SNOWFALL TO THE AREA. AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH BITTERLY COLD AIR SETTLING INTO THE AREA AND REMAINING IN PLACE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING...THE NORTHERN BLACK HILLS AREA...AND NORTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY BE HEAVIEST LATE THIS EVENING INTO EARLY TUESDAY...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE AREAS. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY...WHICH WOULD PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM AND WHERE THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR IS STILL UNCERTAIN...BUT AT THIS TIME THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS GENERALLY FAVORED ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE NORTHERN BLACK HILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL LIKELY CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. GUSTY WINDS WOULD PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES WHERE SNOW ACCUMULATES. NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA PLAINS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. THE BITTER COLD AND WIND WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS OF ZERO TO 30 BELOW ZERO ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES... OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RAPIDCITY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, December 2013
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: 481292, 481293, 481290, 481295, 481301, 481291, 481298, 481299, 481300.