High Wind, Harding
- When
- December 20, 1:30 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Harding forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in South Dakota, December 20, 2020
A surface trough brought very gusty westerly winds to northwestern South Dakota. Wind gusts over 65 mph were reported, with a 79 mph gust at Buffalo.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
A surface trough brought very gusty westerly winds to northwestern South Dakota. Wind gusts over 65 mph were reported, with a 79 mph gust at Buffalo.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains
- When
- December 20, 2:00 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
- Coordinates
- 44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Butte
- When
- December 20, 5:00 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Butte forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
- Coordinates
- 44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in American Samoa, December 20, 2020
- Dense Fog in California, December 20 to 21, 2020
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Washington, December 20 to 22, 2020
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Montana, December 20 to 22, 2020
- Dense Fog in California, December 20 to 21, 2020
- High Wind in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 2020
- Freezing Fog in Idaho, December 20, 2020
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, December 20, 2020
- High Wind in Wyoming, December 20, 2020
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, December 20, 2020
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, December 2020
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 929988, 929990, 929989.