South Dakota, 2023

High Wind and Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 11, 2023

March 11, 2023 · NWS UNR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A tight pressure gradient behind a passing cold front brought strong west to northwest winds to much of northwestern South Dakota during the afternoon and early evening hours. Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph, with a few gusts over 60 mph were recorded across portions of northwestern South Dakota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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 UNR wrote it up.

A tight pressure gradient behind a passing cold front brought strong west to northwest winds to much of northwestern South Dakota during the afternoon and early evening hours. Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph, with a few gusts over 60 mph were recorded across portions of northwestern South Dakota. The strong winds also produced areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility across portions of northwestern South Dakota where there was considerable snowpack.

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 Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 10, 4:52 PM MST, 18 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 10, 4:52 PM MST, 18 hours 8 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter weather, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Harding

When
March 11, 11:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts over 60 mph produced areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility.

High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains

When
March 11, 11:30 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Perkins

When
March 11, 12:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts near 60 mph produced blowing snow and reduced visibility.

High Wind, Butte

When
March 11, 1:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Butte forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Ziebach

When
March 11, 2:00 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where
Ziebach forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts over 50 mph produced areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 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: 1075500, 1075499, 1075501, 1075498, 1075502.