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Dangerous Cold for Most of the Eastern U.S.; Critical Fire Weather for Southern California

Arctic air encompassing the eastern two-thirds of the United States will persist with a slow return to normal temperatures expected by the end of the week. The below average temperatures will prolong the travel impacts and exacerbate the threat from the cold for those with power outages across the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Critical fire weather conditions persist in southern California. Read More >

Overview

A strong low pressure system moved across the Northern Plains on Monday, March 29th, 2021, and brought a period of very strong winds to the region. Strong west to southwest winds developed Sunday night, then shifted to the northwest on Monday as a vigorous cold front swept through. The strongest wind gust of 81 mph was measured Monday morning on the south side of Rapid City. In addition, very dry air combined with the strong winds and dry vegetation led to multiple fires in the Black Hills and prairies, with the Schroeder Fire infringing on the western edge of Rapid City and the Divide Fire in Perkins County.

The image to the right shows the wind observations at the NWS office near downtown Rapid City for March 29th.
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NWS Rapid City Wind Observations
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