Widespread snowfall continues to move SE through areas east of the Missouri River. It is light to moderate, but is accompanied by winds that will increase later today and this evening. Intercity travel issues have occurred, but they will become worse after dark as snow continues, especially where the heaviest band of snowfall sets up, primarily in east central South Dakota along the Buffalo Ridge through SW Minnesota into the Iowa Great Lakes area. Some of those places already have 6″, and may finish with a foot of snow.

Sioux Falls and SE KELOLAND will see snowfall end this evening. We still expect a total of 3-4 inches snowfall in the Sioux Falls area – more north and east of Sioux Falls. In open areas, winds may blow some of the snowfall around and create slippery roads.

Tonight the brisk north winds along and behind the departing snow will drag in cold air. Temperatures will dip near or below zero in eastern KELOLAND, but will be magnified by winds and serious wind chills through tomorrow morning. It won’t be as cold in western South Dakota, where there was very little snowfall.

Tomorrow will start very cold with a breeze that will create significant wind chills in the morning. But skies will be partly to mostly sunny during the afternoon. Temperatures will be hampered by fresh snow on the ground, so we’ll only have highs in the teens East River. Relatively bard ground and a south breeze will significantly warm western South Dakota on Saturday, to the mid 30s to mid 40s.

Sunday will be breezy but warmer in eastern KELOLAND. A northwest breeze and partly cloudy skies will cause temperatures to bounce back to the low to mid 30s East River, and the low 40s West River.

Looking ahead to next week, we will start with mild temperatures on Monday (Martin Luther King Day) and Tuesday before we get another surge of much colder air for Wednesday and Thursday. After a one-day warmup – and possible light snow – on Friday, it will cool right back down for the following weekend (January 22-23).