If you hadn't been following the weather fairly closely the past few days, chances are you could be in for quite a surprise as the sun goes down. After a minor snow event this past Friday, (2.5 inches in Sioux Falls) South Dakota has decided to flex its Land of Infinite Variety muscles again this week. As I write this the National Weather Service says it's 51 degrees in Sioux Falls. They also say that those nice temperatures aren't going to be around for long. According to the forecast;

Mostly sunny, with a steady temperature around 3. Wind chill values as low as -23. Blustery, with a north northwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

According to their tabular forecast, the temps will be down about 20 degrees by 6:00 PM and down another 20 by midnight tonight. That my friend is an attention-getting drop.

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As crazy as that may seem, those who have lived in South Dakota for some time know that it's fairly common. In fact, when it comes to Mother Nature Mood Swings, you may hear the old-timers talking about the day the thermometer had people talking about the weather in Spearfish, South Dakota.  According to a story from television station KEVN in Rapid City;

On Jan. 22, 1943, temperatures in Spearfish dropped to -4 degrees. Then a southwesterly wind coming from Oregon, known as a Chinook, made its way through the Hills, bringing temperatures up to 45 degrees in about two minutes.

The Chinook died down, returning the temperature to a bitter -4. The temperature changes landed them two Guinness Book of World Records: one for the fastest temperature rise and one for the fastest temperature drop.

Do you have a saying or phrase you use for describing South Dakota Weather? I like to say, Mother Nature will pin you down and make you cry uncle, but if you live here in South Dakota she'll let you up once in a while. Be safe and be warm. Oh and please share this with your Facebook or Twitter Friends. You know, the ones who wore a light jacket today!

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