PlainHazard

South Dakota extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 66 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,993 extreme cold records in South Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 92 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 15, 1997 cold/wind chill in Brule County: 2 deaths and 2 injuries. South Dakota ranks 9th of 51 states and territories by count and 19th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in South Dakota, 1996 to 2026

Cold records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1,9931996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
92average
Deaths
122 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
2022239 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are extreme cold records common in South Dakota?

South Dakota averages about 92 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 9th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (239). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Dakota records 263 extreme cold records since 1996, 19th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Maryland 1039
  2. 2. New Jersey 901
  3. 3. West Virginia 808
  4. 4. Vermont 703
  5. 5. New York 602
  6. 6. Kentucky 578
  7. 7. Delaware 565
  8. 8. Minnesota 532
  9. 9. Iowa 492
  10. 10. Illinois 483
  11. 19. South Dakota 263

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in South Dakota have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Hamlin County leads South Dakota: 40 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 78.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Roberts County has the most cold records (51 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Hamlin County 78.9 (40)
  2. Davison County 75.8 (33)
  3. Moody County 73.2 (40)
  4. Hanson County 71.3 (31)
  5. Lake County 71.1 (41)
  6. Deuel County 70.7 (44)
  7. Grant County 67.5 (46)
  8. Clay County 65.5 (27)
  9. Douglas County 64.8 (28)
  10. Codington County 64.0 (44)
  11. Miner County 63.1 (36)
  12. Marshall County 58.5 (49)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the cold season in South Dakota?

71% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (896 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 896 · Feb 514 · Mar 71 · Apr 28 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 484 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in South Dakota?

South Dakota: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-01-15 Cold/Wind ChillBrule County · forecast zone Brule Temperatures a few degrees below zero were accompanied by wind gusts over 40 mph creating wind chills as cold as 70 below zero. Drifting snow and areas of low visibility in blowing snow also occurred in open areas. Two men stranded in a car overnight near Pukwana froze to death while a third man stranded with them ... 2 2 –
2017-01-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDewey County · forecast zone Dewey A couple became stranded northeast of Eagle Butte on Jan 1st in snow and low visibility when their vehicle went into the ditch. It was very cold when the couple decided to walk to safety with both of them freezing to death. A command center was set up with a large search and rescue operation occurring. Multiple search ... 2 0 –
2015-02-02 Cold/Wind ChillBrown County · forecast zone Brown An 88-year old woman in Columbia died from exposure as she had fallen and could not get back up. Low temperatures were in the single digits below zero with wind chills as low as 20 to 25 below zero. 1 0 –
2011-03-08 Cold/Wind ChillBrown County · forecast zone Brown A 97-year old Aberdeen woman died from exposure to the cold when she went outside her apartment patio and the door locked behind her. The woman was believed to be outside for 8 to 10 hours. The overnight low was 2 degrees above zero. The winds averaged around 10 mph through the night giving a wind chill of around 10 ... 1 0 –
2025-01-19 Cold/Wind ChillMinnehaha County · forecast zone Minnehaha A deceased woman was found outdoors on January 19 just outside the city limits of Sioux Falls to the north of Family Park. Law enforcement noted the cause of death was exposure to the cold weather. Wind chill values throughout the day generally ranged from 10 to 30 below zero at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport (KFSD). 1 0 –
1996-12-08 Cold/Wind ChillRoberts County · forecast zone Roberts A Summit man died from exposure to the extreme cold after his vehicle became stuck in the snow. The man attempted to walk for help and was found about one mile from his car in the driveway of a home about a mile and a half west and one mile south of Summit. 1 0 –
2024-01-12 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDewey County · forecast zone Dewey Expansive high pressure out of Canada followed a clipper system resulting in high winds, arctic cold and dangerous wind chills on January 11th. A second system from the south followed close behind enhancing winds overnight January 12th into the 13th. Extreme cold with dangerous wind chills lingered through January ... 1 0 –
2019-01-08 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWalworth County · forecast zone Walworth A 58 year old woman at a mobile home park in Mobridge died of exposure. It appeared she fell down and could not get back up. The combination of lows in the upper teens along with strong northwest winds were believed to be responsible. 1 0 –
2018-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBrown County · forecast zone Brown A 68 year-old Brown county woman died due to exposure to the cold. She was found near a grove of trees near Hecla on Thursday, January 25th. 1 0 –
2017-12-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Grant An elderly Revillo woman died of exposure while walking to find help after crashing her vehicle in rural Grant county a couple days before Christmas. An expansive search resulted in her body being found on Christmas Eve. 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in South Dakota?

South Dakota's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Extreme cold: South Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeSouth DakotaUnited StatesSouth Dakota's share
1996-991235,5392.2%
2000s17114,7921.2%
2010s86918,1624.8%
2020-2683015,3295.4%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in South Dakota

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHyde County · forecast zone Hyde 0 0 –
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDeuel County · forecast zone Deuel 0 0 –
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillRoberts County · forecast zone Roberts 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHand County · forecast zone Hand 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMcPherson County · forecast zone McPherson 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWalworth County · forecast zone Walworth 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSully County · forecast zone Sully 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillStanley County · forecast zone Stanley 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSpink County · forecast zone Spink 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPotter County · forecast zone Potter 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLyman County · forecast zone Lyman 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHughes County · forecast zone Hughes 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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