If you've lived in Sioux Falls for a few decades you've no doubt heard about the "Weatherballs" that were located on the rooftops of certain banks in the city.

Before weather apps or alerts on your phone, you only needed to drive by one of the 4 National Banks and glance up to see which color the Weatherballs were.

What Did the Sioux Falls' Weatherballs Mean?

I still remember in the 70s when our family would drive to Sioux Falls and dad would always drive by one of the Weatherballs and proudly tell us what they meant.

Here was the way we remembered what type of weather was on the way:

  • When the Weatherball is red, warmer weather is ahead.
  • When the Weatherball is white, colder weather is in sight.
  • When the Weatherball is green, no change in weather is foreseen.
  • When colors blink by day or night, precipitation is in sight.

Where Were the Sioux Falls' Weatherballs?

 

The Sioux Falls Weatherballs were located atop US Bank locations (formerly National Banks) at 8th and Main, East 10th and Omaha, 33rd and Minnesota Ave., and 41st and Louise. Although a few still exist, they are not active.

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sioux falls weather balls
33rd and Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD - May 2022
(PHOTO: Google Maps)
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The Weatherball was not magic, however. Such technology did not exist to accurately forecast the weather patterns. Some would argue that is still the case today.

The Weatherball was controlled by remote switch from a local radio station. The board operator had the duty of changing the color of the ball to fit the predicted weather, and promised a change in the weather 6 hours in advance.

sioux falls weather balls
Downtown Sioux Falls, SD (PHOTO: Google Maps)
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If there were no Weatherballs nearby, you could always turn the television to a local news channel and see the someone put a felt cloud or sunshine on a board.

Today, Doppler Radar has let us to simply look at our phones to get the radar, current temperatures, and precipitation forecast. But it was a fun experience back in the day to gaze upon the Weatherball.

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