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Brookings, S.D. — Extreme temperature drops were recorded Jan. 16 in the northeast portion of the state by the South Dakota Office of Climate and Weather. The most notable temperature change was that of the Leola, S.D., station which recorded a 12-degree drop in ten minutes and an 18-degree drop in an hour. The temperature fell from 38 degrees at 11:35 a.m. to 26 degrees at 11:45 a.m., and finally to 20 degrees by 12:35 p.m.
“Although this is notable, it is not a record,” said Nathan Edwards, SDSU Research Assistant and Network Engineer. “The National Weather Service states that the United States record for a two hour temperature change is held by Rapid City, S.D., with a 62 degree drop on Jan. 13, 1911.”
Spearfish, S.D. set a U.S. record with a 49 degree rise in two minutes on Jan. 22, 1943, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
The South Dakota Office of Climate and Weather at South Dakota State University operates a statewide network of 34 weather stations.
“The stations report in real time, updating as often as every five minutes, enabling South Dakotans to make well-informed decisions when their activities are impacted by the state’s rapidly changing weather,” said Edwards.
Real-time and archived data can be found at the office’s website www.climate.sdstate.edu.
To read more articles about South Dakota’s climate, visit www.iGrow.org
