Strong high pressure built southward out of Canada, led by a weak wave of low pressure which increased the surface pressure gradient, and dropped a swath of light snowfall across southeast South Dakota and parts of southwest Minnesota. The coldest wind chill across southeast South Dakota generally ranged from 30 to 40 below zero.
Every event with a place to put it; 27 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.
Strong high pressure built southward out of Canada, led by a weak wave of low pressure which increased the surface pressure gradient, and dropped a swath of light snowfall across southeast South Dakota and parts of southwest Minnesota. The coldest wind chill across southeast South Dakota generally ranged from 30 to 40 below zero.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 5:11 AM CST, 4 minutes earlier.
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</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 319 AM CST Fri Dec 31 2021 IAZ001>003-012>014-MNZ080-081-089-090-098-SDZ050-059>070-010930- Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Murray-Cottonwood- Nobles-Jackson-Rock-Gregory-Davison-Hanson-McCook-Minnehaha- Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Turner-Lincoln-Bon Homme-Yankton- 319 AM CST Fri Dec 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, south central South Dakota, and southeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Patchy light snow will be possible today but amounts will be on the light side. Closer to highway 14 and points north higher snowfall amounts will be possible. By tonight wind chill values will drop and average 25 below to 35 below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Wind chill values will remain at 25 below to 35 below zero through Saturday morning. Some light snow will be possible in far southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa with some lighter accumulations possible from Sioux City to Storm Lake. Another shot of cold air may drop wind chill values to 20 below to 30 below zero Wednesday into Thursday. Additional light snow will be possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. MNZ071-072-097-SDZ038>040-052>058-010930- Lincoln-Lyon-Pipestone-Beadle-Kingsbury-Brookings-Jerauld-Sanborn- Miner-Lake-Moody-Brule-Aurora- 319 AM CST Fri Dec 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest Minnesota, central South Dakota, east central South Dakota, and south central South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A band of light snow will move through east central South Dakota into parts of southwest Minnesota, with the better chances near highway 14. Snowfall amounts will likely be in the 1 to 3 inch range with some isolated locations possibly getting closer to 4 inches. Wind chills will drop tonight and average 25 below to 35 below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Wind chill values will remain at 25 below to 35 below zero through Saturday morning. Another shot of cold air may drop wind chill values to 20 below to 30 below zero Wednesday into Thursday. Additional light snow will be possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. IAZ020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-SDZ071-010930- Plymouth-Cherokee-Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Dixon-Dakota-Union- 319 AM CST Fri Dec 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest Iowa, west central Iowa, northeast Nebraska, and southeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Wind chills will drop tonight and average 25 below to 35 below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Wind chill values will remain at 25 below to 35 below zero through Saturday morning. Some light snow will be possible in far southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa late tonight into Saturday with some lighter accumulations possible from Sioux City to Storm Lake. Another shot of cold air may drop wind chill values to 20 below to 30 below zero Wednesday into Thursday. Additional light snow will be possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 cold/wind chill, 4 extreme cold/wind chill, 3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall totaled 4.1 inches 5 miles south of Chamberlain (site CBRS2) and 3.5 inches at Chamberlain and 2 miles south of Pukwana.
Snowfall totaled 3.0 inches at Wessington Springs (site WSPS2).
Snowfall totaled 3.0 inches 3 miles northeast of Forestburg (site FTBS2).
Wind chills dropped as low as -34F 18 miles south southwest of Wessington (site RHUS2). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -33F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 3 miles east-southeast of Forestburg (site SD527). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -34F at a South Dakota State Mesonet site at White Lake (site WTES2). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -35 at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 1 mile west of Howard (site SD592), but the coldest value was present for less than an hour. The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -33F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System near Kimball (site SD537). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -35F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 3 miles east-northeast of Alexandria (site SD502), but the coldest value was present for less than an hour. The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -33F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 1 mile northwest of Tripp (site SD570). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -32F at Mitchell (site KMHE). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -31F at Gregory (AWOS site K9D1). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -33 at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 1 mile northwest of Tripp (site SD570). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills reached as low as -38F at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System location near Wolsey (site SD582). The extreme wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills reached as low as -35F at De Smet (site K6V5). The extreme wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -31F 7 miles west of Geddes (RAWS site RLAS2). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -31F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 4 miles east-southeast of Tyndall (site SD571). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -35F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 5 miles south of Freeman (site SD530), but the coldest readings did last up to an hour. The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -33F at Madison (site KMDS). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -34F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 3 miles southeast of Montrose (site SD547). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -35F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 2 miles west of Dell Rapids (site SD520), but the coldest value was present for less than an hour. The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -31F at Yankton (site KYKN). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills reached as low as -37F at the South Dakota State Mesonet site at Oak Lake (OAKS2). The extreme wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -29F at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System 10 miles east of Davis (site SD519). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -29F at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System 2 miles west-southwest of Gayville (site SD532). The cold wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills reached as low as -37F at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site 13 miles west of Ward (site SD577). The extreme wind chills continued into January.
Wind chills dropped as low as -30F at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System 3 miles south-southwest of Beresford (site SD508). The cold wind chills continued into January.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, December 2021
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: 1001974, 1001975, 1001976, 1001856, 1001860, 1001894, 1001869, 1001891, 1001896, 1001916, 1001895, 1001911, 1001917, 1001840, 1001841, 1001913, 1001918, 1001919, 1001873, 1001909, 1001910, 1001971, 1001842, 1001970, 1001972, 1001878, 1001973.