Winter Weather — Brookings, South Dakota

2026-01-21 · Brookings, South Dakota

Event narrative

Northwest winds gusted to 48 mph at Brookings and 47 at a South Dakota Mesonet site in Volga. These winds combined with periods of light snowfall which totaled around 1 inch to produce visibility briefly as low as one-quarter to one-half mile.

Wider weather episode

Winds behind yet another arctic front reached speeds from 35 to 55 mph with gusts as high as 75 mph across southeast South Dakota. When periods of light snowfall occurred that would total between one and two inches north of Highway 18, gusty winds produced considerable near-blizzard and very brief blizzard conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1315486. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.