High Wind Warning Issued for Southwest Minnesota and South Dakota; Gusts Up to 75 MPH Expected
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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A High Wind Warning is in effect from 7 PM Thursday to 7 AM Friday for portions of southwest Minnesota and South Dakota, with damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph forecast.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- High Wind Warning
- Affected area
- Southwest Minnesota and South Dakota
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Sioux Falls
Wind notices are issued against local thresholds and a defined time window. Confirm both in the original notice before making a current-condition decision.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Southwest Minnesota and South Dakota.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued a High Wind Warning for multiple counties across southwest Minnesota and central, east central, south central, and southeast South Dakota. The warning indicates that severe wind conditions are likely to impact the region starting Thursday evening.
Affected Areas
The following geographic regions are included in the warning area:
- Southwest Minnesota: Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Cottonwood, Nobles, Jackson, Pipestone, and Rock counties.
- South Dakota: Beadle, Kingsbury, Brookings, Gregory, Jerauld, Sanborn, Miner, Lake, Moody, Brule, Aurora, Davison, Hanson, McCook, Minnehaha, Charles Mix, Douglas, and Hutchinson counties.
Expected Conditions
- Wind Speed: Sustained northwest winds of 30 to 40 mph.
- Wind Gusts: Peak gusts are expected to reach up to 75 mph.
- Impacts: Damaging winds are expected to blow down tree branches and may cause scattered power outages. Travel will be difficult, particularly for high-profile vehicles.
Timeline
The High Wind Warning is effective from 7:00 PM CDT this evening, March 12, through 7:00 AM CDT Friday, March 13.
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the affected areas should take the following precautions:
- Use extra caution if you must drive, as winds this strong will make steering difficult.
- Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially alert to dangerous crosswinds.
- Prepare for the possibility of power outages by charging essential devices.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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