Sioux Falls Chilling Winter Forecast: Prepare For Subzero Temps

Is it just me, or do you also get the feeling that we could be in for a brutally cold winter this year in Sioux Falls and throughout South Dakota?

Here it is just the beginning of December, it's not even officially winter yet, and it already feels like we're in the deep freezer!

The gang in the First Alert Weather Center over at Dakota News Now says that cold air is going to remain in the Sioux Falls region over the next few days as our temps will be stuck in the teens and low 20s. We may see a bit of a warming trend mid to late week, and when I say a warming trend, we're talking upper 30s, maybe 40 degrees if we're lucky. Don't get any crazy ideas about breaking out your Bermuda shorts and flip-flops again.

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Given the recent arctic blast that has hunkered down in the Sioux Empire over the past few days, it got me wondering what the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Sioux Falls were during November and December.

After doing a little digging, if you think it's cold right now, quit your bitchin', the cold snap we've been experiencing lately is nothing compared to the coldest temp ever recorded in Sioux Falls during the month of November.

That record was set on November 30th,1893. That particular day, it dipped down to 0°F. That's brutal, especially for the month of November even in South Dakota.

However, that temp is tropical compared to the coldest day ever recorded in Sioux Falls during December. For that record, we need to go back to December 23rd, 1983. On that day the actual temperature plummeted to 22 below zero. But check this out, the wind chill that day thanks to 30mph winds, made it feel like 82° below zero!

That temp is nuttier than squirrel turds! Remind me again why we choose to live in this state.

If you're wondering, NOAA's temperature outlook predicts below-normal temperatures for nearly all of South Dakota for the winter months of December, January, and February this season.

Have you told your furnace lately that you love it? It sounds like it will end up being your best friend again this winter. You might want to go whisper something sweet to it....STAT!

Source: NOAA/Dakota News Now