Autumn Snowstorms in Sioux Falls, SD

Past Autumn Snowstorms in Sioux Falls

Historically, significant snowfall in the Sioux Falls area has occurred
fairly frequently during November, and occasionally during October.

The greatest autumn snowfall on record occurred recently on November 20,
2015. While there was little wind during the snowfall, areas across the 
southern Sioux Falls metro area and toward Harrisburg and Tea received 
from 12 to 18 inches snowfall. Officially, the Sioux Falls airport 
received 7.2 inches, and the snow amounts dropped off to the north
at a rate of around an inch every 2 to 3 miles.

Another notable event was the Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm of November
27/28 in 1983, in which up to 15 inches of snowfall along with thunder
and lightning occurred in the Sioux Falls area. Again, the airport 
measured a lower amount (11.4 inches) than most of the city. A similar
storm to this was the blizzard of November 10, 1998, also initiating with
thunder and lightning in the early morning hours, and officially dumping
12.6 inches of snow.

Who could forget the famous Halloween snowstorm of Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, 1991,
in which 12.1 inches of snow fell, followed by blizzard conditions?  An
honorable mention would go to the late November 2001 storm, when a storm
total of 12.6 inches of heavy, wet snow fell on the 26th-27th.

The Halloween snowstorm of 1991 took the prize for the heaviest snowfall
so early in the season.  The earliest significant snowfall since records
began in 1893 was 5.1 inches on October 8-9, 1970.

It should be mentioned that one of the worst winter storms in October/
November history was not a snowstorm, but an ice storm. On November
15th/16th 1996, between two and three inches of freezing rain, sleet,
and some snow occurred in the Sioux Falls area, causing considerable
damage to trees and power lines.
 
The following table lists significant October/November snowfalls of
the past for the Sioux Falls area.

Date	Airport Snowfall (inches in 24 hours)	Comments
Sep. 9, 2020	Trace	earliest snowfall
Sep. 25, 1939	0.3	earliest measurable snowfall
Sep. 28, 1985	0.9	second earliest measurable snow Up to 18" snowfall in Tripp county of south central South Dakota
Oct. 1, 1999	2.7
Oct. 8-9, 1970	5.1
Oct. 14, 2018	2.8
Oct. 17-18, 1898	6.1
Oct. 19, 1982	3.3	5.5" in southern Sioux Falls, 12" at Newton Hills, 25 miles south of Sioux Falls
Oct. 20, 1905	5.0
Oct. 26, 1918	4.0
Oct. 28, 1925	4.5
Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, 1991	11.2	HEAVIEST SO EARLY IN SEASON
Nov. 1, 1928	5.0
Nov. 2, 1992	2.8	4.1" total Nov. 1-3
Nov. 5-6, 2013	6.2
Nov. 7, 1924	5.5
Nov. 8, 1985	8.0	2nd heaviest snowfall so early
Nov. 8-9, 1977	5.6	6.1" storm total
Nov. 9, 1932	5.0
Nov. 9-10, 1946	7.9
Nov. 9-10, 1896	6.0	7.8" storm total
Nov. 10, 1998	12.6	13.4" storm total
Nov. 11-12, 2000	5.7
Nov. 12, 1959	7.5
Nov. 14-15, 1947	6.4	7.0" storm total
Nov. 14-15, 1926	5.0
Nov. 15, 2014	6.5
Nov. 15-16, 2000	5.3
Nov. 18-19, 1948	9.1	11.8" storm total
Nov. 19-20, 1975	9.2
Nov. 20, 2015	7.2	12-18" southern Sioux Falls
Nov. 21, 1909	6.0	7.0" storm total
Nov. 21-22, 1979	11.8
Nov. 24-25, 1993	7.5
Nov. 26-27, 2001	12.1	12.6" storm total
Nov. 27, 1994	9.6
Nov. 27-28, 1983	11.0	15.0" in southern Sioux Falls
Nov. 28-29, 2005	5.9	ice storm/blizzard west of Sioux Falls
Nov. 30, 1954	7.6
Nov. 30, 2005	6.6
Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2015	9.6
Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 1981	7.0	9.0" in southern Sioux Falls

Updated 11/15/2020