South Dakota, 2024

High Wind in South Dakota, December 18 to 19, 2024

December 18 to 19, 2024 · NWS UNR · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

A strong cold front passed through the region during the overnight hours, bringing strong wind gusts to much of northwest South Dakota to west central and south-central South Dakota. Wind gusts of 60 to around 70 mph were recorded during the overnight and morning hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
17

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 strong cold front passed through the region during the overnight hours, bringing strong wind gusts to much of northwest South Dakota to west central and south-central South Dakota. Wind gusts of 60 to around 70 mph were recorded during the overnight and morning hours. Winds started to taper off in most areas by the afternoon.

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 Dec 18, 10:06 PM MST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 10:06 PM MST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 18, 4:17 AM MST, 19 hours 13 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
417 AM MST Wed Dec 18 2024

SDZ001-002-012>014-031-072-073-078-191300-
Harding-Northern Perkins-Butte-Northern Meade Co Plains-Ziebach-
Pennington Co Plains-Sturgis/Piedmont Foothills-
Southern Meade Co Plains-Southern Perkins-
417 AM MST Wed Dec 18 2024

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwestern
South Dakota...and southwestern South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Localized fog will dissipate this morning. Light mixed
precipitation may occur tonight. Gusty northwest winds will
develop after midnight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Strong gusty northwest winds with the potential for 60 MPH gusts
may occur through mid-afternoon Thursday.

.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

SDZ024>030-032-041>044-046-047-049-074>077-WYZ054>060-191300-
Northern Black Hills-Northern Foothills-Rapid City-
Southern Foothills-Central Black Hills-Southern Black Hills-
Custer Co Plains-Haakon-Western Fall River-Northern Oglala Lakota-
Northern Jackson-Bennett-Mellette-Todd-Tripp-Hermosa Foothills-
Eastern Fall River-Southern Oglala Lakota-Southern Jackson-
Northern Campbell-Southern Campbell-Western Crook-
Wyoming Black Hills-Weston County Plains-Newcastle-
Northeastern Crook-
417 AM MST Wed Dec 18 2024 /517 AM CST Wed Dec 18 2024/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western South
Dakota and northeastern Wyoming.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Gusty northwest winds will develop late tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Gusty northwest winds are expected through mid-afternoon Thursday
with gusts around 50 MPH likely.

.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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 18, 10:20 PM MST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 18, 11:03 PM MST, 27 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 18, 11:18 PM MST, 12 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

17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Harding

When
December 18, 11:30 PM MST to December 19, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.580, -103.496 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pennington Co Plains

When
December 19, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where
Pennington Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Butte

When
December 19, 12:30 AM MST to 6:00 AM MST
Where
Butte forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.906, -103.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Meade Co Plains

When
December 19, 12:30 AM MST to 5:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Meade Co Plains

When
December 19, 12:30 AM MST to 8:30 AM MST
Where
Southern Meade Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Perkins

When
December 19, 1:30 AM MST to 7:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Perkins forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Perkins

When
December 19, 2:00 AM MST to 8:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Perkins forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.491, -102.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ziebach

When
December 19, 3:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Ziebach forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.980, -101.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Jackson

When
December 19, 6:30 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Jackson forecast zone
Measured
35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.694, -101.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mellette

When
December 19, 7:30 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Mellette forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.581, -100.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sturgis-Piedmont Foothills

When
December 19, 7:30 AM MST to 8:30 AM MST
Where
Sturgis-Piedmont Foothills forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.567, -102.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haakon

When
December 19, 8:00 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where
Haakon forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
44.294, -101.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Tripp

When
December 19, 9:00 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
Where
Tripp forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.346, -99.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Custer Co Plains

When
December 19, 9:30 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where
Custer Co Plains forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Foothills

When
December 19, 10:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Foothills forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.359, -103.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bennett

When
December 19, 10:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Bennett forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.195, -101.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Todd

When
December 19, 12:30 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where
Todd forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.193, -100.718 (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

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, December 2024

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: 1221388, 1221396, 1221391, 1221392, 1221404, 1221389, 1221390, 1221393, 1221398, 1221400, 1221403, 1221397, 1221402, 1221395, 1221394, 1221399, 1221401.