Name: Drought in South Dakota, September 1 to 30, 2018
Start: 2018-09-01T00:00
End: 2018-09-30T23:59
Location: South Dakota

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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.

Severe drought conditions that redeveloped in August remained throughout September for the upper James Valley. The corn and soybean conditions had worsened throughout the month with low yields expected for several areas. The severe drought did expand northward into Mcpherson county by the middle of September only to retreat back south by the end of the month.

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 Aug 31, 5:24 PM CST, 6 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 5:24 PM CST, 6 hours 36 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 31, 11:58 AM CST, 12 hours 2 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
1258 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018

MNZ039-046-SDZ006>008-011-018>023-011200-
Traverse-Big Stone-Brown-Marshall-Roberts-Day-Spink-Clark-Codington-
Grant-Hamlin-Deuel-
1258 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for west central Minnesota and
northeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Strong to severe storms are possible late this afternoon through
this evening in northeastern South Dakota and west central
Minnesota. Large hail will be the main threat.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast from
Saturday night through early next week.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be requested. Weather spotters are encouraged
to submit reports to the National Weather Service in Aberdeen. The
public can submit reports on our web page, Facebook page, or our
Twitter feed.

SDZ003>005-009-010-015>017-033>037-045-048-051-011200-
Corson-Campbell-McPherson-Walworth-Edmunds-Dewey-Potter-Faulk-
Stanley-Sully-Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Jones-Lyman-Buffalo-
1258 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018 /1158 AM MDT Fri Aug 31 2018/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota and
north central South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast from late in
the weekend through early next week.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

SRF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Brown

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Spink

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Faulk

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Edmunds

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McPherson

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, September 2018

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 786960, 786961, 786962, 786963, 786964.