High Wind in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 2020

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 2020
Start: 2020-01-17T20:00
End: 2020-01-18T09:00
Location: South Dakota

January 17 to 18, 2020 · NWS ABR · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 7

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 strong surface low pressure area tracked from Wyoming across South Dakota on Friday, January 17th and Saturday, January 18th. This low pressure area was followed by a powerful Arctic cold front which brought high winds from 35 to 45 mph with gusts to 50 to over 60 mph to parts of central and north central South Dakota. Some light snow along with freezing rain/drizzle occurred with this system across the region but, the main issue was the high winds. Very cold air moved in with the northwest winds as well. There were impacts to roads and driving conditions with some spotty icy conditions along with lowered visibility in blowing snow at times. The highest wind gust was 62 mph near Reliance.

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 17, 5:35 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 5:35 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 2:27 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 17, 2:35 PM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 17, 2:57 PM CST, 5 hours 3 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 17, 4:37 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 17, 4:38 PM CST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 17, 4:39 PM CST, 3 hours 21 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 17, 5:21 PM CST, 2 hours 39 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

7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Corson

When: January 17, 8:00 PM CST to January 18, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stanley

When: January 17, 8:00 PM CST to January 18, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jones

When: January 17, 8:00 PM CST to January 18, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dewey

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lyman

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sully

When: January 17, 10:00 PM CST to January 18, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hughes

When: January 17, 11:40 PM CST to January 18, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 871908, 871910, 871911, 871909, 871914, 871912, 871913.