Strong Wind — Lake, South Dakota

2026-01-16 · Lake, South Dakota

Event narrative

Sustained winds reached 30 to 39 mph at times with a peak gust of 53 mph at a South Dakota Road Weather Information System site 1 mile southeast of Madison, 52 mph at an Automated Weather Observing System site at Madison, and 51 mph a South Dakota Mesonet site 6 miles south of Madison.

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 1314005. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.