Many areas of the state are getting more snow, wind, and cold temperatures today. State offices and schools across western South Dakota are closed due to blizzard conditions.
Jon Chamberlain with the National Weather Service in Rapid City says this blast of wintery weather is expected to persist throughout the afternoon but should move out of the state by late evening. He says snow totals are less than expected so far but many roads are still icy and visibility is limited so travelers should use caution.
“That’s probably the main thing with this system – the winds are very strong out there. We’re seeing winds 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts around almost 60 miles per hour here in Rapid City and on the South Dakota plains, so that’s going to cause a lot of areas of reduced visibility and significant blowing snow. Even if you only get an inch or two of snow it’s still going to be very treacherous for travel especially as you get along Interstate 90 and north up into that northwest part of South Dakota,” says Chamberlain.
Chamberlain says two more systems are expected to move through the state on Tuesday and Wednesday that may bring one to two inches of snow and temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s. But, he says 50’s are forecasted for the weekend.