A strong cold front brought gusty winds to much of western South Dakota during the overnight and morning hours. The strongest winds were generally noted over parts of the west central South Dakota, where some gusts around 60 mph were reported.
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.
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 UNR wrote it up.
A strong cold front brought gusty winds to much of western South Dakota during the overnight and morning hours. The strongest winds were generally noted over parts of the west central South Dakota, where some gusts around 60 mph were reported.
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 Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 20, 9:31 PM MST, 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion For Western SD and Northeastern WY
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1031 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022
.DISCUSSION...(This Evening Through Sunday)
Issued at 158 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022
Water vapor shows upper ridge over the Plains with elongated trof
moving into the Rockies. At the surface, cold front is moving
into northeast WY early this afternoon, with warm/dry/breezy
conditions ahead of the front. Many locations south/east of the
Black Hills have already reached into the 70s.
Cold front will move into far western SD early this evening, then
sweep through the rest of the forecast area this evening and
overnight. Northwest winds will become quite strong, especially in
the lee of the Black Hills with high confidence in advisory level
winds for the foothills/plains of southern Meade, Pennington, and
Custer counties. Would not be surprised to see some localized winds
near warning criteria right around KRAP based on forecast soundings.
The rest of the area will largely remain below advisory criteria
but will be close. Also, there will be a few bands of rain/snow
showers that move through overnight into the morning hours. Looks
like a couple inches of snow accumulation will occur across parts
of the northeast WY plains and the northern Black Hills, but areas
further east on the SD plains will see little if any snow
accumulations.
Drier air will move in on Monday with very gusty winds continuing,
especially in the aforementioned advisory area in the lee of the
Black Hills. Highs will mainly be in the 40s with a few lower 50s
south and east of the Black Hills.
Southern stream upper low will eject northeast into the Midwest on
Tuesday and phase with the northern stream trof by Tuesday night and
Wednesday. The result will be a very tight pressure gradient across
the Northern Plains both Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in
continued cool and very windy conditions both days.
Could also be a bit of light precip at times, but most precip will
remain to our east.
Temps will warm Thursday as short wave ridge moves through the
Northern Plains. A strong clipper will dive through Thursday night
and Friday, with more wind and light precip possible. Large scale
upper ridge then builds in for the weekend, with dry and warmer
conditions expected.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS Through 06Z Monday Night)
Issued At 1030 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022
A cold front will continue to push through the region and bring
gusty NW winds to the area tonight. Snow will move across NE WY
this evening and spread east across far western SD, dissipating as
it moves east. Expect widespread MVFR conds across NE WY and the
northern Black Hills tonight, with local IFR conds expected in
snow. Further east, mainly VFR conds expected with local MVFR
conds on the SD plains early Monday morning. Conds will trend VFR
all places Monday, with breezy NW winds continuing.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 158 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022
Unseasonably warm, dry, and breezy conditions are expected today
with minimum relative humidities in the 20s across northeast
Wyoming into the Black Hills, and teens further south and east.
Critical fire weather conditions have developed mainly southeast
of the Black Hills this afternoon, and have expanded the Red Flag
Warning a bit further north and west. See latest RFWUNR for more
info.
A strong cold front will move through late today and tonight
bringing gusty northwest winds and some rain or snow. Gusty winds
and minimum afternoon relative humidities in the 20s will
continue through Wednesday resulting in elevated fire weather
conditions.
&&
.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...Wind Advisory until 6 PM MDT Monday for SDZ026-072-074.
High Wind Warning until 9 AM MDT Monday for SDZ030-031-073.
Wind Advisory from 9 AM to 6 PM MDT Monday for SDZ030-031-073.
WY...None.
&&
DISCUSSION...Johnson
AVIATION...JC
FIRE WEATHER...JohnsonHazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Rapid City SD 822 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022 SDZ024-028-WYZ054>058-071-211300- Northern Black Hills-Central Black Hills-Northern Campbell- Southern Campbell-Western Crook-Wyoming Black Hills-Weston- Northeastern Crook- 822 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Black Hills of South Dakota...northeast Wyoming...and the Black Hills of Wyoming. .DAY ONE...Tonight A strong cold front will support breezy northwest winds and some light snow with up to an inch of accumulation possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Gusty northwesterly winds and chances for light rain and snow will continue through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today. && Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for further updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/rapidcity SDZ001-002-012>014-025-027-029-032-041>044-046-047-049-211300- Harding-Perkins-Butte-Northern Meade Co Plains-Ziebach- Northern Foot Hills-Southern Foot Hills-Southern Black Hills- Haakon-Fall River-Oglala Lakota-Jackson-Bennett-Mellette-Todd- Tripp- 822 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022 /922 PM CDT Sun Mar 20 2022/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. .DAY ONE...Tonight Breezy northwest winds can be expected tonight behind a strong cold front. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Gusty northwest winds will persist through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today. && Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for further updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/rapidcity SDZ026-030-031-072>074-211300- Rapid City-Custer Co Plains-Pennington Co Plains- Sturgis/Piedmont Foot Hills-Southern Meade Co Plains- Hermosa Foot Hills- 822 PM MDT Sun Mar 20 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwestern South Dakota...and southwestern South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Tonight Strong northwest winds can be expected through the night with gusts over 55 mph possible, especially between Rapid City and Wall. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Gusty northwest winds will persist through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today. && Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for further updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/rapidcity
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
803 PM MDT SUN MAR 20 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0749 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 N BUFFALO 45.60N 103.55W
03/20/2022 M53 MPH HARDING SD ASOS
&&
SMITHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
907 PM MDT SUN MAR 20 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0801 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 N BUFFALO 45.60N 103.55W
03/20/2022 M58 MPH HARDING SD ASOS
&&
SMITHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2022
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: 1005836, 1005837, 1005838.