South Dakota, 2013

Winter Storm in South Dakota, December 2 to 4, 2013

December 2 to 4, 2013 · NWS UNR · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

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.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
9

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 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.

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 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.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 2, 8:54 PM MST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 2, 6:24 AM MST, 15 hours 36 minutes before
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 radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

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)

Winter Storm, Northern Meade Co Plains

When
December 2, 10:00 PM MST to December 4, 3:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Harding

When
December 3, 12:00 AM MST to December 4, 3:00 AM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ziebach

When
December 3, 1:00 AM MST to December 4, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Ziebach forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Meade Co Plains

When
December 3, 1:00 AM MST to December 4, 1:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Perkins

When
December 3, 2:00 AM MST to December 4, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oglala Lakota

When
December 3, 12:00 PM MST to December 4, 3:00 AM MST
Where
Oglala Lakota forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.336, -102.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Todd

When
December 3, 2:00 PM CST to December 4, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Todd forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.193, -100.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tripp

When
December 3, 3:00 PM CST to December 4, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Tripp forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.346, -99.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, December 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: 481292, 481293, 481290, 481295, 481301, 481291, 481298, 481299, 481300.