Spearfish, South Dakota generally has a very variable climate at any given time, but especially in winter months. This is due to the fact that it is located at the base of the Black Hills and near the High Plains.
Native Americans used to spear fish in the creek and that is where the town got its name. Spearfish Creek is a fast-moving creek that emerges from Spearfish Canyon at Spearfish. On a global scale the town is not famous for anything in particular, but it does hold one strange world record—the world record for the fastest recorded temperature change!
On 22 January 1943, at about 7:30 am, residents woke up to a temperature of −4°F (−20°C). Then the Chinook wind suddenly picked up speed, and two minutes later, at 7:32 am it was +45°F (+7°C) above zero in Spearfish! That is a 49°F (27°C) rise in two minutes that set a world record that still holds.
After 9:00 am the Chinook rapidly died down and the temperature tumbled back to −4°F (−20°C). The 58°F (32°C) drop happened in only 27 minutes! The sudden fluctuation in temperatures caused glass windows to crack and windshields to instantly frost over.
