RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Being winter ready in the Black Hills is a must, even when you don’t see snow on the ground.

While it doesn’t look much like winter right now, weather can change very quickly out here in the Black Hills. That’s why Emergency Management in Pennington County urge everyone to always be prepared.

“It’s easy to not think about those things when it is blue skies and nice outside. But it is actually the best time to get those simple, basic, low cost, preparedness activities that will position yourself to better navigate when we have those conditions,” Dustin Willett, Dir. of Emergency Management, said.

By keeping an eye on the weather forecast, having enough food in your home, along with important medications, you can avoid a dangerous situation.

“It is entirely reasonable to expect that we will have winter weather events, that snow is not done with us in Western South Dakota,” Willett said.

The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office says it’s also important to have your car winter ready during this time of year. You can do that by always have a full tank of gas, blankets, an emergency kit, and water.

“Think of your car as like a mobile home and the reason why I say that is because you just never know what is going to happen. I can tell you on several occasions, people have been stuck in their cars for 10 to 15 hours and they just don’t have those basic needs,” Sgt. Amanda Swanson, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, said.

By being prepared, you can help yourself and others be safe during winter weather.

You can stay updated on any changing weather conditions on our KELOLAND Weather App.