Wildfire in Dewey, South Dakota

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) fire detection tool identified a hot spot northeast of the community of Green Grass in the early afternoon of March 12th. Dewey county Emergency Management closed a portion of Highway 63 due to smoke and the threat from the fire. The fire burned through a total of 991 acres of mostly prairie and pasture.

Unseasonably mild air moved into the region ahead of a strong low pressure system. These conditions, on top of a fairly dry February across western South Dakota allowed a fire to develop northeast of the community of Green Grass and spread rapidly southeast. 991 acres of mostly prairie and pasture were burned in the fire, with a portion of Highway 63 closed due to smoke and the threat of the fire crossing the Highway.

Winds picked up dramatically with the passage of the low pressure system, with a peak wind gust of 81 mph recorded at the Pierre Regional Airport ASOS. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) 1 mile west northwest of Summit recorded a wind gust as high as 79 mph, while the SDDOT RWIS 3 miles southeast of Reliance recorded a peak wind of 77 mph. Another 23 weather stations would record a peak wind in excess of 70 mph.

These high winds were responsible for at least one semi being blown off Interstate 29 near Summit, forcing a closure of the southbound lane.