Blizzard and High Wind in South Dakota, December 17 to 18, 2025

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in South Dakota, December 17 to 18, 2025
Start: 2025-12-17T23:06
End: 2025-12-18T18:00
Location: South Dakota

December 17 to 18, 2025 · NWS ABR · 30 events in 26 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 30 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: 30

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 strong low-pressure system and a blast of arctic air produced high winds and pockets of localized blizzard conditions across the region. The highest wind gust of 83 mph was recorded by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) mesonet station near Ridgeview, SD and 81 mph winds were recorded by the SDDOT mesonet station 9 miles north northwest of Vivian, SD. 26 additional weather stations would record a peak wind gust in excess of 70 mph. High winds and light snow resulted in pockets of intermittent blizzard conditions.

High winds were responsible for blowing in the top of a grain bin in Murdo, toppling a small steel building under construction in Timber Lake, and causing a semi to jackknife near the town of Frederick in Brown County. Another semi closed portions of Highway 28 in Hamlin county after it was blown into the ditch. Roberts, Marshall and Day counties were placed under a No Travel Advised for the duration of the system.

Several power outages were also noted, totaling of 1647 residents, including 355 residents in Marshall and 322 residents in McPherson counties. Day, Spink, Lyman and Stanley all suffered power infrastructure damage due to these high winds.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 9:10 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 9:10 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 17, 4:52 AM CST, 18 hours 14 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
452 AM CST Wed Dec 17 2025

SDZ003>006-009-010-015>018-034>037-051-181100-
Corson-Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Walworth-Edmunds-Dewey-Potter-Faulk-
Spink-Sully-Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Buffalo-
452 AM CST Wed Dec 17 2025 /352 AM MST Wed Dec 17 2025/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota, north
central South Dakota and northeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

A blast of Arctic air will be incoming around or slightly after
midnight across north central South Dakota. See the "days two
through seven" section for additional details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

The Arctic blast is still on tap to reach us early Thursday morning.
Hazards with this blast of Arctic air include rapidly falling
temperatures, wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph, and snow showers. The
combination of intense snow showers and high winds would present a
travel hazard for the early Thursday commute.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National
Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web
page, Facebook page, or our X feed.

SDZ033-045-048-181100-
Stanley-Jones-Lyman-
452 AM CST Wed Dec 17 2025 /352 AM MST Wed Dec 17 2025/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

The rangeland fire danger will reach the very high category today
thanks to winds out of the southwest at 30 to 45 mph and temperatures
well into the 50s. Rain showers will move in late in the afternoon
and help mitigate any additional fire weather potential.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

The Arctic blast is still on tap to reach us early Thursday morning.
Hazards with this blast of Arctic air include rapidly falling
temperatures, wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph, and snow showers. The
combination of intense snow showers and high winds would present a
travel hazard for the early Thursday commute.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National
Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web
page, Facebook page, or our X feed.

SDZ007-008-011-019>023-181100-
Marshall-Roberts-Day-Clark-Codington-Grant-Hamlin-Deuel-
452 AM CST Wed Dec 17 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Winds today across the Sisseton hills region could top out at 40 to
55 mph, with locally higher gusts in the downslope favored areas.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

The Arctic blast is still on tap to reach us early Thursday morning.
Hazards with this blast of Arctic air include rapidly falling
temperatures, wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph, and snow showers. The
combination of intense snow showers and high winds would present a
travel hazard for the early Thursday commute.

Throughout the day, wrap around snow showers are possible as well.
Accumulations ranging from an inch or two are possible up in the
Sisseton hills, but the main impact will be potential travel
difficulties due to snow and high winds reducing visibility.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National
Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web
page, Facebook page, or our X feed.

MNZ039-046-181100-
Traverse-Big Stone-
452 AM CST Wed Dec 17 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for west central Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Hazardous weather is not expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

The Arctic blast is still on tap to reach us early Thursday morning.
Hazards with this blast of Arctic air include rapidly falling
temperatures, wind gusts of 45 to 60 mph, and snow showers. The
combination of intense snow showers and high winds would present a
travel hazard for the early Thursday commute.

Throughout the day, wrap around snow showers are possible as well,
with the main impact being potential travel difficulties due to
falling snow and high winds reducing visibility.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National
Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web
page, Facebook page, or our X feed.

07

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 17, 7:30 PM CST, 3 hours 36 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

26 high wind, 3 blizzard, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Corson

When: December 17, 11:06 PM CST to December 18, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stanley

When: December 17, 11:18 PM CST to December 18, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The South Dakota State University mesonet station seven miles southwest of Hayes recorded a peak wind gust of 76 mph. Over 100 customers lost power due to infrastructure damage.

High Wind, Dewey

When: December 17, 11:42 PM CST to December 18, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Measured: 72 kt (83 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds caused the collapse of a small steel building under construction in Timber Lake. The South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet recorded gusts of 73 mph near Timber Lake and 83 mph near Ridgeview.

High Wind, Hughes

When: December 18, 12:19 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Campbell

When: December 18, 1:00 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Campbell forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Edmunds

When: December 18, 1:41 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McPherson

When: December 18, 1:42 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Walworth

When: December 18, 2:06 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When: December 18, 2:15 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Potter

When: December 18, 2:55 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roberts

When: December 18, 3:36 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hand

When: December 18, 3:50 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hyde

When: December 18, 3:50 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Faulk

When: December 18, 3:53 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Codington

When: December 18, 3:55 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Codington forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Buffalo

When: December 18, 3:57 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Day

When: December 18, 4:00 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Utility Company
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A power outage reported in Day county started at 4 am, and continued through approximately 3 pm. Winds at the time of the outage were between 40 and 50 mph based off regional mesonets, with a peak wind gust of 58 mph measured by the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station 4 miles west of Waubay.

High Wind, Clark

When: December 18, 4:11 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sully

When: December 18, 4:19 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Deuel

When: December 18, 4:37 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Spink

When: December 18, 6:00 AM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High winds caused power disruptions for over 100 customers in Spink County on the morning of December 18th. During this time, multiple weather stations across the area recorded a peak wind gust close to 60 mph.

Winter Weather, Hamlin

When: December 18, 9:44 AM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

South Dakota Highway Patrol reports that a semi jackknifed along Highway 28 thanks to the combination of strong winds and low visibility in snow. The nearby South Dakota Department of Transportation weather station 4 miles east of Lake Norden recorded a peak wind gust of 50 mph at the time.

Blizzard, Marshall

When: December 18, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

No Travel Advised was issued for Marshall county thanks to a combination of winds around 60 mph and snow showers leading to blizzard conditions. The AWOS in Britton recorded a visibility 1/4 mile or less between 10 am and 2 pm.

High Wind, Lyman

When: December 18, 10:37 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Day

When: December 18, 11:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

No Travel Advised was issued for Day county thanks to a combination of winds around 60 mph and snow showers leading to localized blizzard conditions.

Blizzard, Roberts

When: December 18, 11:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

No Travel Advised was issued for Roberts county thanks to a combination of winds gusting between 60 and 70 mph and snow showers leading to localized blizzard conditions.

High Wind, Jones

When: December 18, 11:08 AM CST to 2:38 PM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds damaged a grain elevator storage bins roof. Weather stations in the surrounding area had winds top out around 70 to 80 mph.

High Wind, Marshall

When: December 18, 12:00 PM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Utility Company
Coordinates: 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Power was interrupted to over 100 customers in the Lake City area with nearby mesonet weather stations recording peak wind gusts around 50 mph.

High Wind, Hamlin

When: December 18, 12:16 PM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grant

When: December 18, 12:55 PM CST to 5:38 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.172, -96.768 (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.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, December 2025

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: 1302454, 1302657, 1302457, 1302647, 1302450, 1302458, 1302682, 1302654, 1302446, 1302681, 1302680, 1302646, 1302648, 1302459, 1302453, 1302449, 1302455, 1302452, 1302655, 1302456, 1302661, 1302462, 1303010, 1302650, 1303009, 1303011, 1302649, 1302653, 1302461, 1302460.