Blizzard in South Dakota, January 16, 2014

Name: Blizzard in South Dakota, January 16, 2014
Start: 2014-01-16T07:00
End: 2014-01-16T19:00
Location: South Dakota

January 16, 2014 · NWS ABR · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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: 14

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 clipper system passing across the region brought light snowfall and very strong northwest winds gusting in excess of 70 mph at times resulting in blizzard conditions. The highest wind gusts include; 76 mph at the Brown County Landfill; 69 mph in Aberdeen and Cravens Corner; 52 mph near Webster; and 52 mph in Sisseton. Blizzard conditions ended during the late afternoon hours. A no travel advisory was issued in Grant, Codington, Hamlin, and Spink Counties due to poor visibilities. The blizzard led to the cancellation of several area activities and schools and nearly impossible travel conditions.

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 Jan 16, 5:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 5:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 5:07 AM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 16, 3:35 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 16, 3:54 AM CST, 3 hours 6 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 16, 4:04 AM CST, 2 hours 56 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 16, 4:54 AM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 16, 5:12 AM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 16, 5:14 AM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Hamlin

When: January 16, 7:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Day

When: January 16, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When: January 16, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Roberts

When: January 16, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When: January 16, 8:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Spink

When: January 16, 8:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Marshall

When: January 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Deuel

When: January 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McPherson

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hand

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Edmunds

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clark

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Faulk

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Codington

When: January 16, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Codington forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, January 2014

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: 487925, 487926, 487927, 487928, 487929, 487930, 487931, 487932, 487933, 487934, 487935, 487936, 487937, 487938.