This Day in Weather History: March 21st

Weather History - March 21st

Local and Regional Events:

March 21st, 1997:

As temperatures began to warm up towards the end of March, the near-record winter snowpack over central, north-central, and northeast South Dakota started to melt. The resulting runoff filled ditches, lakes, creeks, streams, and low-lying areas. The massive amount of water swamped hundreds of sections of county and township roads as well as several state and federal highways. The inundated parts of roads were either broken up or washed out. Tens of culverts were blown out or damaged, and several bridges were either destroyed or washed out by chunks of ice and the high water flow. Road closures were extensive, with rerouting for school buses, mail carriers, farmers, and ranchers. Many spillways and dams received some damage or were washed out. Also, thousands of acres of farmland and pastureland were underwater. Due to the high groundwater, countless homes receive water in their basements. A few towns were partially flooded, including Twin Brooks in Grant County, Corona in Roberts County, and Raymond in Clark County. The following week, in the early morning of March 27, water flowed into Raymond, filling the basements of several homes. In rural areas, several farms were surrounded by water and were inaccessible, leaving some people stranded and livestock marooned. Many other residences and businesses, mainly across northeast South Dakota, received significant damage or were a total loss. As a result, several people had to be evacuated. At the time, many long-term residents said this was the most significant flooding they had seen. The flooding continued into early to mid-April.

March 21st, 2012:

Several record-high temperatures occurred across the region in March. Click HERE for a recap.