On January 22, 1943, the Black Hills saw some wild temperature swings. Early in the morning, it was above freezing in the higher areas but below zero at the foothills. As the day went on, temperatures shot up and then dropped dramatically several times. At one point, in Spearfish, it jumped 49 degrees in just two minutes and later dropped 58 degrees in 27 minutes. Rapid City saw a 49-degree rise in 20 minutes. These crazy changes were so noticeable that people felt them just walking around, and frost formed on car windshields as the front moved. This event got national attention, even making it into “Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”
This day stands as a testament to the extraordinary and sometimes bewildering power of nature, reminding us to always be prepared for the unexpected.
