Strong Wind — Brookings, South Dakota

2026-01-16 · Brookings, South Dakota

Event narrative

Sustained winds reached 30 to 39 mph at times with a peak gust of 52 mph at an Automated Weather Observing System site at Brookings, 49 mph at a South Dakota Mesonet site at Volga, and 47 mph 2 miles north-northeast of Brookings.

Wider weather episode

Northwest winds surged behind a strong arctic cold front which moved across the region early on January 16. The strongest winds were generally west of the James River Valley where gusts to 60 to 70 mph were common. While areas of light snowfall generally on the order from a dusting to an inch fell before and concurrent with the strong winds, there were only very spotty and brief instances of visibility below one mile.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1314002. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.