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We’re already seeing near-whiteout conditions and hazardous roads as our low pressure system tightens up by Sioux City. A Blizzard Warning remains in effect for many through tomorrow morning and the winds haven’t really intensified yet.
Snow reports coming into the Storm Center show more than seven inches near Aberdeen with more in Milbank and near Sisseton. Snow will continue in heavy bands through much of the afternoon and the strongest winds will move through the east later on.
Sioux Falls has had it all so far. We started with rain, then thunder and ice pellets. Now we are watching the quick change-over to snow as more energy arrives. We’ve just tweaked the snow totals map a bit; you can find it below.
It looks like SW Minnesota could get quite a bit, but NW Iowa is running into some drier air. A line from Pipestone to Brookings and Watertown will be a focus for a secondary band of snow. That runs right along I-29, where we’ve heard about poor visibility. As of this writing, I-90 is closed between Wall and Chamberlain and the winds are only going to get stronger.
Gusts will howl at near 50 mph and sustained winds should be 30-40 mph, like we’ve been talking about for days.
The worst of the wind and ground blizzard conditions won’t even start until dark for our farthest eastern towns. So even if the storm looks done for a while this afternoon, wrap-around moisture and winds will still arrive. If snow was heavy to your northwest, expect drifting near your home.
This system begins clearing tomorrow morning as winds start to slowly subside. We’ll still have a breeze across the area and snow will continue to blow but the wind won’t be quite as bad.
Sunshine will come to the far west and Pierre should see some improvement.
One good thing is that the worst of the cold won’t make it into KELOLAND behind this blizzard. A warming trend arrives and will last through Wednesday. Then a stronger cold front drops our temperatures and brings another round of snow chances to our region.
Stay warm and dry!
-Ben
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