Dense Smoke, Codington
- When
- August 29, 4:05 AM CST to 4:17 AM CST
- Where
- Codington forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Smoke in South Dakota, August 29 to 30, 2023
Wildfire smoke from northwest Canada followed the airflow around high pressure over the Rockies. Low level smoke moved into South Dakota initially on August 28th, however lowest visibilities and highest Air Quality Index (AQI) values were observed as a backdoor cold concentrated the smoke along its axis on August 29th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
Wildfire smoke from northwest Canada followed the airflow around high pressure over the Rockies. Low level smoke moved into South Dakota initially on August 28th, however lowest visibilities and highest Air Quality Index (AQI) values were observed as a backdoor cold concentrated the smoke along its axis on August 29th. That front pushed back across the area as a warm front late on the 30th of August into the morning of August 31st, after which a slow gradual improvement was noted. AQI in Aberdeen topped out at 107, Watertown at 95, and Pierre at 92. Visibility was impacted for over 56 total hours in both Aberdeen and Britton, 50 hours in Redfield, 39 hours in Gettysburg, 33 hours in Mobridge, and 22 hours in Pierre.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 dense smoke. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense Smoke, Marshall
- When
- August 30, 2:15 AM CST to 7:15 AM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Smoke, Codington
- When
- August 30, 5:20 AM CST to 5:28 AM CST
- Where
- Codington forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Smoke, Brown
- When
- August 30, 7:00 AM CST to 7:15 AM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Dense Smoke
- Smoke reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, August 29, 2023
- Damaging Winds in Idaho, August 29, 2023
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 29 to 30, 2023
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Florida, August 29, 2023
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Montana, August 29 to 30, 2023
- Drought in Oklahoma, August 29 to 31, 2023
- Storm Surge and Tropical Depression in Florida, August 29 to 30, 2023
- Damaging Winds in Montana, August 29, 2023
- Drought in Iowa, August 29 to 31, 2023
- Drought in Texas, August 29 to 31, 2023
- Marine Tropical Storm in Gulf of Mexico, August 29, 2023
- Marine Tropical Depression in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, August 29 to 30, 2023
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, August 2023
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: 1121272, 1121257, 1121273, 1121235.