Blizzard, Marshall
- When
- February 14, 6:00 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in South Dakota, February 14 to 15, 2023
A low pressure system moved quickly across South Dakota and rapidly deepened as it tracked into Minnesota and the Western Great Lakes region. An initial rain/snow mix on the morning of Tuesday, February 14th transitioned to all snow between 4 and 5pm.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
- 6
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 low pressure system moved quickly across South Dakota and rapidly deepened as it tracked into Minnesota and the Western Great Lakes region. An initial rain/snow mix on the morning of Tuesday, February 14th transitioned to all snow between 4 and 5pm. Snow proceeded to continue through the very early morning hours of Wednesday, February 15th. The greatest reported accumulations include 4.5 inches 2 miles southeast of Roslyn, 3.8 inches in Clark, and 3.6 inches 3 miles west of Sisseton. Meanwhile, locations like Aberdeen only received a trace of snowfall and little to no snow was observed west of the James Valley.
Winds with the system were quite strong, with a peak wind gust of 63 mph measured in Summit, and a peak gust of 62 mph near Clark and Milbank. Almost every observation site in northeastern South Dakota had a peak wind gust of 50 mph or greater with this system.
Interstate 29 was closed from Watertown north to the state line in preparation for deteriorating travel conditions on the evening of the 14th. As expected, the combination of high winds and fresh snow resulted in blizzard conditions which persisted from the evening of the 14th through most of the morning of the 15th. With reports of multiple stranded vehicles, the Department of Transportation and several sheriff's offices advised no travel across the Sisseton Hills region during the event.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Day
- When
- February 14, 6:00 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Day forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clark
- When
- February 14, 9:00 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clark forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Roberts
- When
- February 14, 10:00 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Roberts forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Codington
- When
- February 14, 10:43 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Codington forecast zone
- Reported by
- Storm Chaser
- Coordinates
- 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Grant
- When
- February 14, 11:00 PM CST to February 15, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dust Storm and High Wind in California, February 14, 2023
- High Wind in New Mexico, February 14, 2023
- High Wind in Texas, February 14, 2023
- Drought in Oklahoma, February 14 to 28, 2023
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, February 14 to 16, 2023
- High Wind and Winter Weather in South Dakota, February 14 to 15, 2023
- High Wind in Texas, February 14, 2023
- Blizzard and High Wind in North Dakota, February 14 to 15, 2023
- Winter Weather in California, February 14, 2023
- Dust Storm and Heavy Snow in Arizona, February 14 to 15, 2023
- High Wind in Kansas, February 14, 2023
- Frost and Freeze and Winter Weather in California, February 14 to 16, 2023
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, February 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: 1076502, 1076505, 1076501, 1076506, 1076504, 1076503.