Winter Weather — Roberts, South Dakota

2026-01-21 · Roberts, South Dakota

Event narrative

The South Dakota Highway Patrol warned of icy roads and low visibility on Interstate 29, which led to a number of vehicle slide-ins.

Wider weather episode

A weak weather system combined with an arctic blast to bring high winds and light snow to the region on the morning of January 21. The Pierre Regional Airport ASOS measured the strongest wind gust at 76 mph. Matching 75 mph gusts were recorded by a personal weather station north of Pierre and the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station southeast of Reliance. While the Watertown COOP recorded 2.4 inches of snow, most other locations received an inch or less. The combination of wind and snow prompted No Travel Advised notices for Walworth, Hand, Faulk, Spink, Roberts, and Hamlin counties. Slick roads and intermittent low visibility resulted in a number of slide-ins across Roberts county.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1301891. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.