High Wind in South Dakota, January 14 to 15, 2021

Name: High Wind in South Dakota, January 14 to 15, 2021
Start: 2021-01-14T03:40
End: 2021-01-15T12:00
Location: South Dakota

January 14 to 15, 2021 · NWS ABR · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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: 18

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 area of Canadian low pressure dropped into the Northern Plains from late Wednesday, January 13th into Friday, January 15th 2021 and brought high winds to central and north central South Dakota. The high winds were responsible for tipping several high profile vehicles over along with causing localized blowing dust. On U.S. Highway 12 near Mobridge, a semi was rolled over with no injuries reported. High wind gusts from 60 to 75 mph occurred across the region. Some of the highest wind gusts include, 70 mph 13 miles northwest of Sansarc, 72 mph 10 miles southwest of Long Lake, and 75 mph 11 miles south of Bullhead.

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 14, 3:12 AM CST, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 3:12 AM CST, 28 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
312 AM CST Thu Jan 14 2021

.SHORT TERM...(Today through Friday Afternoon)
Issued at 311 AM CST Thu Jan 14 2021

A frontal boundary moved through the area last evening, and now
beginning to see a tightening pressure gradient behind it. Winds
already gusting over 40 mph across the central part of the state,
and expect these to increase and spread eastward today. Mixed layer
winds off Bufkit continue to indicate values of 50 to 65 knots, so
will keep the High Wind Warning in place across the west and central
CWA this morning through the day Friday when the gradient finally
begins to relax as high pressure approaches.

As far as the eastern CWA is concerned, looking at a messier
situation as wrap around snow on the back side of the low to the
east develops by this afternoon and continues into Friday afternoon.
Snowfall amounts east of the James River Valley look to generally be
in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest amounts expected along
the west side of the Coteau. Concern then becomes what the result of
the strong winds and falling snow will be. Blowing snow model
indicates 30 to 35 mph winds at a minimum will be needed in
combination with falling snow to create near blizzard to blizzard
conditions. Therefore, have issued a Blizzard Warning for the area
east of the James River Valley for this afternoon through the day
Friday.

One other concern is fire danger over the far western CWA, where the
strong winds will combine with the lack of snow cover and 30 to 35
percent relative humidities to result in very high to extreme fire
danger. Therefore, will stick with a Red Flag Warning for the
zones west of the Missouri River for this afternoon.

High temperatures today will be in the 30s, with lows tonight in the
lower to mid 20s. Highs on Friday be in the mid 20s to lower 30s.

.LONG TERM...(Friday Evening through Wednesday)
Issued at 311 AM CST Thu Jan 14 2021

Temperatures will remain a little above average through the weekend
and into the start of the work week before a clipper drifts in from
the northwest. Temperatures out ahead of this feature may result in
mixed precipitation, however timing (mid-day) would suggest a
rain/snow mix before transitioning to snow. Potential evidence that
there may be some banding on the north side of the system as it dips
across the CWA, but at this point that's all very speculative. It is
a weak clipper and winds not particularly substantial at this point
either.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Thursday Night)
Issued at 1128 PM CST Wed Jan 13 2021

Terminals KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG

Rain showers will continue tonight especially over eastern South
Dakota. A cold front continues to pass across the region and
associated northwest winds have been affecting the area over the
past few hours with gusts in excess of 50 kts at times along and
west of the Missouri River. There may be a brief lull in winds
behind the front before they pick up again later tonight and
especially Thursday afternoon. Northwest winds of 40 to 55 kts are
possible Thursday afternoon, especially along and west river.
Remaining showers of rain are expected to turn into snow towards
morning, although most areas are expected to see limited snow
with accumulations of an inch or less. Generally speaking,
visibilities are expected to remain VFR, although KATY is an
exception where more moderate snow combined with winds may reduce
visibilities to near zero at times towards the end of the TAF
period. VFR ceilings are expected for KMBG and KPIR through the
TAF period, although may drop to MVFR for KABR and KATY at times.

&&

.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...High Wind Warning until noon CST /11 AM MST/ Friday for
     SDZ003>006-009-010-015>018-033>037-045-048-051.

     Blizzard Warning from noon today to 6 PM CST Friday for SDZ007-
     008-011-019>023.

     Red Flag Warning from 1 PM CST /noon MST/ to 5 PM CST /4 PM MST/
     this afternoon for SDZ003-015-033-045-048.

MN...Blizzard Warning from noon today to 6 PM CST Friday for MNZ039-
     046.

&&

SHORT TERM...Parkin
LONG TERM...Connelly
AVIATION...Telken

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 13, 4:10 PM CST, 11 hours 30 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
410 PM CST Wed Jan 13 2021

MNZ039-046-SDZ007-008-011-019>023-142215-
Traverse-Big Stone-Marshall-Roberts-Day-Clark-Codington-Grant-Hamlin-
Deuel-
410 PM CST Wed Jan 13 2021

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Winds will increase into the 25 to 40 mph range after midnight,
along with the potential for some light rain or light snow.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Very windy conditions are expected across the area Thursday and
Friday, with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph possible. There is also
a chance for snow, with the potential for 2 to 4 inches of
accumulation, with higher amounts possible. The falling snow and
strong winds will combine to create reduced visibilities creating
hazardous travel conditions.

.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.

SDZ004>006-009-010-016>018-034>037-051-142215-
Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Walworth-Edmunds-Potter-Faulk-Spink-Sully-
Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Buffalo-
410 PM CST Wed Jan 13 2021

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Winds will increase into the 25 to 40 mph range after midnight,
along with the potential for some light rain or light snow.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Very windy conditions are expected across the area Thursday and
Friday, with wind gusts in excess of 55 mph possible. There is also
a chance for snow, with the potential for up to one inch of
accumulation. However, any falling snow will combine with the strong
winds to create reduced visibilities and the potential for hazardous
travel conditions.

.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.

SDZ003-015-033-045-048-142215-
Corson-Dewey-Stanley-Jones-Lyman-
410 PM CST Wed Jan 13 2021 /310 PM MST Wed Jan 13 2021/

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Winds will increase into the 25 to 40 mph range after midnight,
along with the potential for some light rain or light snow.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Very windy conditions are expected across the area Thursday and
Friday, with wind gusts up to 60 mph possible.

Very high grassland land fire danger can be expected Thursday
afternoon. A red flag warning has been issued.

.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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 14, 12:40 AM CST, 3 hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
1240 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1008 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 10 SW CHANTLER CREEK RE 44.39N 100.77W
01/13/2021  M70 MPH          STANLEY            SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION 202 HAYES (SDDOT).

&&

Local storm report, Jan 14, 12:41 AM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
1241 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0913 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 13 NNW SANSARC          44.67N 101.14W
01/13/2021  M68 MPH          STANLEY            SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION 168 FOSTER BAY (SDDOT).

&&

Local storm report, Jan 14, 12:42 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
1242 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0953 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SE RELIANCE           43.85N 99.56W
01/13/2021  M59 MPH          LYMAN              SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION 54 RELIANCE (SDDOT).

&&

Local storm report, Jan 14, 12:43 AM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
1243 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1219 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 NE RIDGEVIEW          45.09N 100.79W
01/14/2021  M57 MPH          DEWEY              SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION 204 RIDGEVIEW (SDDOT).

&&

Local storm report, Jan 14, 3:11 AM CST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
311 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0204 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 5 WNW MCLAUGHLIN        45.85N 100.91W
01/14/2021  M60 MPH          CORSON             SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION 205 MCLAUGHLIN (SDDOT).

&&

Local storm report, Jan 14, 3:18 AM CST, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
318 AM CST THU JAN 14 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0306 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 11 S BULLHEAD           45.61N 101.06W
01/14/2021  M70 MPH          CORSON             SD   MESONET

            MESONET STATION GRRS2 BULLHEAD 10 S.

&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Stanley

When: January 14, 3:40 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jones

When: January 14, 3:45 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Buffalo

When: January 14, 5:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Walworth

When: January 14, 6:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dewey

When: January 14, 6:40 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Campbell

When: January 14, 7:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Campbell forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Potter

When: January 14, 7:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sully

When: January 14, 7:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McPherson

When: January 14, 7:10 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hughes

When: January 14, 7:15 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hyde

When: January 14, 7:45 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lyman

When: January 14, 8:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Faulk

When: January 14, 8:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Edmunds

When: January 14, 8:15 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hand

When: January 14, 8:30 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When: January 14, 8:45 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Spink

When: January 14, 9:00 AM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Corson

When: January 14, 2:00 PM CST to January 15, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (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 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, January 2021

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: 939925, 939926, 939942, 939929, 939924, 939928, 939931, 939933, 939936, 939934, 939940, 939935, 939938, 939937, 939941, 939945, 939946, 939676.