High Wind in Hand, South Dakota

The South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station near Ree Heights recorded a peak wind gust of 61 mph. Due to these high winds and an ongoing dry spell, areas of blowing dust resulted in intermittent near-zero visibility along portions of Highway 14 between Ree Heights and Miller. Additionally, three trees collapsed within the city of Miller due to wind stress.

A departing high pressure system generated strong southwest winds, with a peak wind gust of 70 mph at the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) station 6 miles south southwest of Peever. Additionally, the SDDOT RWIS 4 miles north of Altamont recorded a peak gust of 68 mph, while the SDDOT RWIS in Summit topped 66 mph.

These high winds were directly responsible for a grassfire 2 miles west of the town of Gary in Deuel County, which burned approximately 100 acres of pasture and farmland. The high winds also caused intermittent near zero visibility due to blowing dust along a portion of Highway 14 between Ree Heights and the city of Miller. 3 trees collapsed due to the wind stress in the city of Miller as well.