Blizzard and High Wind in South Dakota, February 17 to 18, 2026

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in South Dakota, February 17 to 18, 2026
Start: 2026-02-17T20:35
End: 2026-02-18T15:00
Location: South Dakota

February 17 to 18, 2026 · NWS ABR · 25 events in 25 counties and zones

A system brought strong winds to the region, with a band of snow across the northeast South Dakota. This resulted in blizzard conditions with widespread travel impacts from the early morning through the afternoon of February 18.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 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: 25

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.

Peak winds associated with the system included a gust measuring 72 mph by a mesonet station owned by a trained spotter in Faulkton, a 71 mph gust recorded by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) 4 miles north of Altamont (Deuel county) and a 67 mph gusts measured by the SDDOT RWIS 7 miles east of Clark. 47 additional weather stations would record a peak wind gust at or in excess of 58 mph.

The Andover and Westport COOP observers reported blizzard or ground blizzard conditions at the time of their observations.

Not much overall snowfall occurred with the system, but within the band snowfall averaged about 4 inches with the COOP observers in Westport and Clark reporting a total of 4.1 and 4.0 inches of snowfall respectively. Additionally, the National Weather Service office just outside the Aberdeen Regional Airport measured 3.7 inches.

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 Feb 17, 7:53 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 7:53 PM CST, 42 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 17, 3:26 AM CST, 17 hours 9 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

15 high wind, 8 blizzard, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Lyman

When: February 17, 8:35 PM CST to February 18, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stanley

When: February 18, 12:15 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hyde

When: February 18, 12:34 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hughes

When: February 18, 12:47 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Campbell

When: February 18, 1:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Campbell forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions were observed via the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet webcam two miles north of Herreid. Winds gusted between 40 and 50 mph while visibility dropped to one-quarter mile or less from 1:00 AM until approximately 10:00 AM.

High Wind, Buffalo

When: February 18, 1:36 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McPherson

When: February 18, 1:47 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions were observed on the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) mesonet webcam located 13 miles east of Eureka. Winds increased above 35 mph at 147 am and frequently gusted between 40-55 mph while snow was falling, resulting in visibility down to a quarter mile or less. Once falling snow moved out of the area, visibility improved rapidly.

High Wind, Corson

When: February 18, 2:06 AM CST to 5:53 AM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Potter

When: February 18, 2:34 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sully

When: February 18, 3:06 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dewey

When: February 18, 3:28 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hand

When: February 18, 3:37 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station 5 miles east of Orient recorded a peak wind gust of 62 mph at 337 am. Later that morning, at approximately 10 am, high winds were responsible for blowing a trailer off a truck on Highway 45, 8 miles southeast of Polo.

Blizzard, Walworth

When: February 18, 3:38 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Walworth county Sheriff reported whiteout conditions across the county during the early morning hours. The South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet stations and the Mobridge Regional Airport ASOS all recorded a peak wind gust of 58 mph while snow was ongoing.

High Wind, Faulk

When: February 18, 3:44 AM CST to 5:53 AM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A trained spotter contacted us to report his mesonet station had a peak wind gust of 72 mph in Faulkton.

Blizzard, Edmunds

When: February 18, 4:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions were observed on the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station webcam in Roscoe starting around 4 AM. Recorded winds gusted around 50 mph with a peak gust of 64 mph, resulting in visibility down to a quarter mile or less. Visibility rapidly increased as snow moved out of the area.

High Wind, Jones

When: February 18, 4:03 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Deuel

When: February 18, 4:22 AM CST to 7:55 AM CST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When: February 18, 4:34 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions started at 434 am, with the visibility at the Aberdeen Regional Airport ASOS down to a quarter mile or less. Wind gusts were recorded between 40 and 55 mph with a peak gust of 61 mph.

These strong winds were also responsible for tree damage in town, with a large limb landing on and damaging a pair of vehicles in Aberdeen.

3.7 inches of snow was recorded during this event at the National Weather Service office located adjacent to the Aberdeen Regional Airport. Catch was higher in town, with one CoCoRaHS observer estimating a total accumulation of approximately 8 inches.

High Wind, Hamlin

When: February 18, 4:54 AM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clark

When: February 18, 5:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions started at 5 am, with the visibility down to 0.25 miles or less. Winds at the nearby South Dakota State University mesonet station 7 miles northwest of Clark averaged between 40 and 50 mph while the snow was falling.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation Road Weather Information System located 6 miles west of Henry would also record a peak wind gust of 67 mph at 451 am that morning.

High Wind, Roberts

When: February 18, 5:34 AM CST to 6:07 AM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Codington

When: February 18, 6:48 AM CST
Where: Codington forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rain changing to ice, followed by snow and high winds, caused a semi-trailer to jackknife on Highway 212 east of Henry. At the time of the incident, the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station seven miles east of Clark reported gusts between 55 and 65 mph.

Blizzard, Spink

When: February 18, 6:58 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The South Dakota Department of Transportation Road Weather Information System (RWIS) webcam, located 3 miles south of Conde, indicated blizzard conditions started shortly before 7 am with visibility down to between 0.25 and 0.5 miles.

The RWIS measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph, with persistent gusts ranging from 40 to 55 mph during the period of blizzard conditions.

Blizzard, Day

When: February 18, 7:22 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) mesonet station webcam in Andover indicated visibility between 0.25 and 0.5 miles starting at 722 am. Winds during that timeframe gusted consistently between 35 and 45 mph.

The SDDOT mesonet station 1 miles east southeast of Bristol would also go on to record a peak wind gust of 66 mph, however much of the snowfall fell short of this location.

Winter Weather, Grant

When: February 18, 8:37 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High winds and ice caused a semi to tip, resulting in the closure of Highway 15 south of Milbank. The AWOS 3 miles east northeast of Milbank recorded a peak wind gust of 57 mph at the time of the incident.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, February 2026

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: 1306965, 1306964, 1306981, 1306966, 1306951, 1306983, 1306969, 1306945, 1306963, 1306967, 1306946, 1306982, 1306953, 1306971, 1306970, 1306984, 1306997, 1306985, 1306996, 1306994, 1306992, 1306995, 1306989, 1306991, 1306993.