Power Outage in Aberdeen, SD

Power lines were downed on the northeast side of Aberdeen by estimated 70 mph winds.

Large branches were downed and power poles were leaning from estimated 75 mph winds.

A tree was downed onto a power line by sixty-five mph winds.

Several trees along with some power lines were downed mainly in southwest Aberdeen. A hanger at the airport was also damaged.

Seventy mph winds blew down a grain bin and tossed it approximately 50 yards taking out a power pole in the process. The grain bin was empty and not properly anchored to the cement base.

Seventy mph winds downed several trees and snapped a power pole. Also there was damage to the tin on a barn.

Sixty mph winds downed some large tree branches and power lines at Richmond Lake.

High winds damaged several signs in Aberdeen along with causing some power outages.

Seventy mph winds snapped a power pole off at the base.

Slow moving thunderstorms brought very heavy rains of 2 to 4 inches in and around Aberdeen causing extensive road flooding throughout the city. Dozens of basements were flooded and damaged along with some sewer backups. Many vehicles became stalled with the police sent out to direct traffic. There were also some power outages.

Winds gusting over sixty mph downed many tree limbs along with some power lines and poles in Aberdeen.

Seventy mph winds downed some trees and many branches throughout Aberdeen. Some trees fell on power lines knocking power out for several hours for over 2000 people in Aberdeen. A couple of vehicles were damaged from trees or branches falling on them. A large trailer was also toppled by the strong winds.

A strong low pressure system developed across the western Great Plains and strengthened as it tracked northeast into Iowa on the afternoon of April 4th and into northeastern Minnesota by noon on April 5th. This system produced accumulating snow as well as a wintry mix across central and northeastern South Dakota on April 4th, and then strong west-northwest wind gusts between 30 and 45 mph on April 5th. The result was significantly reduced visibilities at times. Ditches were full of snow from this and previous snowfall events, which allowed for significant drifts to develop on roadways as well.||Many US and state highways were either impassable, closed or under no travel advised statements from the South Dakota Department of Transportation. Interstate 29 closed from Watertown to the North Dakota boarder from 2pm April 4th through 7am April 6th. Business and school closures were widespread as a result. Additionally, there were several reports of power outages, and ranchers were adversely impacted due to the storm's overlap with the calving season. Following this storm, many locations had observed a top-10 winter season for total snowfall. All the snow and much below average temperatures to start April set the stage for significant spring flooding.

Just 4 days after a major winter storm at the end of March, a strong low pressure system developed across the western Great Plains and strengthened as it tracked northeast into Iowa on the afternoon of April 4th and into northeastern Minnesota by noon on April 5th. This system produced heavy snow from late in the evening on April 3rd through early in the morning on April 5th across central and northeastern South Dakota, along with northeast winds of 15-30mph. The initial snow over east central South Dakota transitioned to a freezing rain or wintry mix for a period of time during the late afternoon and evening hours before switching back to snow. Visibilities were frequently reduced to between a mile and a quarter mile in heavy snow, with localized blizzard conditions at times. Winds shifted to the west-northwest on April 5th and gusted to between 30 and 45 mph, which led to continued significantly reduced visibilities at times through the day despite the lack of new falling snow. Ditches were full of snow from this and previous snowfall events, which allowed for significant drifts to develop on roadways. Some of the highest snowfall totals included 18 inches 7 miles east of Hayes, 16 inches 8 miles south-southwest of Seneca, 15.6 inches a mile west of Roscoe, 15 inches 9 miles east of Grey Goose, 4 miles northwest of Onida and 11 miles northeast of Pierre, and 14 inches in Bowdle, 5 miles northwest of Mission Ridge and 3 miles northwest of Westport.||Many US and state highways were either impassable, closed or under no travel advised statements from the South Dakota Department of Transportation. Interstate 29 closed from Watertown to the North Dakota boarder from 2pm April 4th through 7am April 6th. Business and school closures were widespread as a result. Governor Kristi Noem ordered the closure of state government executive branch offices from April 4th through 5th for numerous counties. Additionally, there were several reports of power outages, and ranchers were severely impacted due to the storm's overlap with the calving season. Finally, the roof of a downtown Aberdeen building, Dacotah Bank, began to collapse on the evening of April 6th due to the weight of the heavy snow. Following this storm, many locations had observed a top-10 winter season for total snowfall. April snow depth records were shattered at Aberdeen and Sisseton as well. All the snow and much below average temperatures to start April set the stage for significant spring flooding.

A strong low pressure system developed east of the Rockies in Colorado and then moved through the Great Plains and into the Upper Mississippi Valley from the evening of March 30th through the evening of March 31st. This system produced heavy snow across parts of central and northeastern South Dakota, along with wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph. Some of the heaviest amounts include 18 inches 5 miles north-northwest of Miranda, 16 inches 7 miles east of Hayes, 15 inches 8 miles south-southwest of Highmore, and 14 inches at Wilmot, Faulkton and a mile northwest of Pierre. The result was blizzard conditions over much of central and northeastern South Dakota during the day and evening on March 31st. In addition, this system produced thunderstorms with small hail, sleet, and thundersnow across the area, as well as ice accumulations of over a quarter of an inch across portions of northeastern South Dakota. ||Impacts were significant, including widespread school closures, the cancellation of the YMCA Interstate Basketball tournament, widespread impassable or closed roads including I-90 from Wall to Chamberlain beginning at noon on the 31st and I-29 from 2pm on March 31st to noon on April 1st from Watertown to the North Dakota border, a great many stranded vehicles and vehicle accidents, power outages that lasted overnight for many customers, and cattle and ranchers during peak calving season were adversely affected. Finally, the heavy snowfall in Aberdeen was found to have caused the collapse of two-thirds of the Van Slyke building in downtown. A fire also started, but was contained soon thereafter. No injuries were reported. This heavy snow event further set the stage for significant spring flooding.

A strong low pressure system produced snow and heavy snow prior to the onset of strong northwesterly winds and periods of additional snow, which resulted in blizzard or ground blizzard conditions across much of central and northeastern South Dakota for extended periods of time from the morning of December 14th through the afternoon of December 16th. Heavy snow of at least 6 inches in 12 hours was recorded from December 15th into the 16th in conjunction with the blizzard conditions across Marshall, Day, Codington, Grant and Roberts Counties. Winds gusted generally between 45 and 60 mph, with the highest recorded gusts including 63 mph at Pierre, 61 mph 10 miles SW of the Chantler Creek Rec Area, 59 mph 3 miles N of Gann Valley, and 58 mph 3 miles SE of Reliance. ||The South Dakota Department of Transportation placed nearly the entire state under No Travel Advised or had road closures by Thursday, as numerous roads had become impassable. I90 closed from Chamberlain to Rapid City from 10am CST on Tue Dec 13th through mid-day Sat Dec 17th (from Kadoka to Chamberlain), and I29 closed from Watertown to the ND border from 7pm Wed Dec 14th through 9am Sat Dec 17th. Several dozens of semi drivers were stranded for consecutive days and nights at the Coffee Cup Fuel Stop in Vivian, and numerous other vehicle accidents and rescues occurred as well. Additionally, power outages were reported across the area, and school was cancelled at numerous locations for multiple consecutive days. ||The blizzard was just one component of a highly impactful, major winter storm. This storm was severe, widespread and prolonged in nature, and produced freezing rain, heavy snow and/or blizzard conditions from December 12th through 16th across the region. A Major Disaster Declaration was declared on February 27th by Governor Noem for several counties across central and northeastern South Dakota for winter weather from December 12-25th.

A low pressure system tracked from Colorado through southeast South Dakota. Initially, a period of freezing drizzle resulted in hazardous travel conditions and at least one request for No Travel Advised early on the morning of the 9th between the Missouri and James River Valleys. Temperatures briefly moderated during the day for a few locations, but then fell back to near or below freezing during the course of the afternoon and evening on the 9th. The main push of moisture, which involved a mix of steady freezing rain and occasional sleet, developed during the evening of the 9th and moved north through the overnight hours. Thunder was noted in several areas, including the cities of Pierre, Aberdeen, and Miller. Widespread accumulations of freezing drizzle and freezing rain totaled at between a quarter inch and one half inch of ice, with an estimated one inch of total ice accumulation in Gettysburg. Winds were also gusty behind the system, with peak winds of 56 mph in Altamont, 50 mph at Brandt, and 49 mph at Summit.|The combination of ice and strong winds that followed resulted in widespread tree damage and power interruptions between the Missouri and James River Valleys. According to the Brown County Emergency Manager, approximately 1,000 customers were without power in just Brown County at one time, and around 80 remained without power on the morning of the 12th. Well below average temperatures moved in behind this system, which only prolonged impacts as temperatures remained below 32�� F for many days, preventing a natural thaw of the ice and snow. |The surface observing system at the Aberdeen regional airport lost power on the 10th at 14:00 CST and remained inoperable through the afternoon of the 11th of November. The city forester in Aberdeen estimates 1000 manhours devoted to storm damage cleanup, with about 35 percent of trees damaged from the storm. |Additionally, freezing drizzle changed over to heavy snow in far north central South Dakota, with 13 inches of total snow reported 6 miles southeast of McIntosh, and 6 inches in Pollock.

In response to a strong north-northeastward moving low pressure system, thunderstorm developed in a favorable environment over south central South Dakota just after midnight on the 14th, and quickly became severe with large hail and straight-line wind. Winds became increasingly extreme as they tracked northeast through the early morning, peaking between 4 and 5 AM across portions of Edmunds, McPherson and Brown Counties. Two separate personal weather stations recorded 120 mph wind gusts, one to the northwest of Roscoe and the other west of Frederick. Damage was widespread, including numerous downed trees and power lines, widespread roof, outbuilding and grain bin damage, and 16 steel towers were downed about 7 miles west-southwest of Frederick, which is indicative of 130 mph wind speeds. A Presidential Disaster Declaration was requested and then granted for six counties across South Dakota, Jones and Spink among them, to help residents recover from storm damage that took place from June 11-14th. Initial estimated statewide damage to public infrastructure is assessed at 1.6 million dollars.

A powerful low pressure system produced several severe thunderstorms, high winds, a brief tornado, and freezing rain. The severe storms developed over south-central South Dakota during the evening hours of the 22nd and advanced northward along with a warm front into north-central and northeastern South Dakota into the early morning hours of the 23rd, bringing widespread damage to the area. The storms produced hail, up to two inches in diameter, 60 to 75 mph wind, and locally heavy rainfall. Strong thunderstorm winds rolled a camper on Highway 45 near Sunshine Bible Academy in Hand County. In addition, half-dollar size hail broke windows on a home seven miles southwest of Ridgeview, and two-inch hail broke vehicle and house windows near Ridgeview. Lightning caused some prairie and hay bale fires around the Highmore area. The center of the low-pressure system passed over Aberdeen on April 23rd at 12:20 AM CST, producing a mean sea level pressure of 983.5 mb. The pressure was just 3.5 mb shy of Aberdeen's 980 mb record for April. Additional severe storms developed during the afternoon hours of the 23rd. The storms produce small hail in Campbell County and a brief tornado in Edmunds County. High winds followed the back side of the surface low pressure during the late evening hours on April 22nd into the afternoon hours on April 23rd. Some of the highest wind reports include 79 mph at Herreid, 75 mph 5 miles east of Danforth, 69 mph at Webster, and 4 miles southwest of Mound City. Freezing rain in north-central South Dakota on the 23rd caused ice to accumulate on power lines. With ice accretion and high winds, many power lines went down, mainly in Corson and Dewey county. The storm system was the third significant storm system of April, which further delayed the agricultural planting season.

A powerful low-pressure system brought damaging high winds, blizzard conditions, and areas of blowing dust from April 12th to April 14th. The prolonged period of high winds caused sporadic tree and shingle damage to roofs. In addition, the combination of ongoing drought conditions and the high winds caused blowing dust in south-central South Dakota. The Hand County Sheriff reported significantly reduced visibility due to blowing dust on the 14th. Some of the highest wind gusts include 73 mph 11 miles south of Bullhead, 72 mph in Tunerville, 71 mph 6 SSW of Peever, and 67 mph 2 miles north of the Pierre Airport and 10 miles SW of Long Lake.

A broad, organized line of thunderstorms moved across north central and northeastern South Dakota during the early morning hours, and produced damaging severe winds to near 80 mph at times. High wake low winds of up to over 60 mph then developed on the backside of the system. Trees, branches, power lines and poles were downed, and some structural damage occurred.

A potent and persistent outbreak of Arctic air affected the entire region from February 6th through the 17th. The coldest days of the outbreak for many occurred Valentine's Day weekend, when high temperatures averaged around ten below zero, in northeastern South Dakota, to the single digits above zero, in central South Dakota. On February 14th, low temperatures dropped into the 20s to the 30s degrees below zero range. Extreme wind chills of 35 degrees to 55 degrees below zero also occurred on several days during the outbreak.| |The magnitude of the cold during this outbreak was fairly rare compared to the past 50 years, at least in terms of the persistence of the Arctic air. This was especially impressive considering the lack of deep, fresh snow cover across most of the area. If there had been widespread deep, fresh snowpack ahead of this Arctic outbreak, low temperatures would have been more severe and more often approaching record territory. Even with the lack of snow cover, Pierre dropped to 20 degrees below zero or colder on the 14th and 15th. Since 1934, Pierre has had two other occurrences when the low temperature fell to 20 degrees below zero with no snow cover. The previous days were January 24th, 1961, and January 5th, 1979.||Impacts from this extreme and persistent cold include many frozen and/or broken water pipes (the limited snow depth did not help in this regard) and froze-over home sewer vents, dead vehicle batteries, school delays, and church cancellations. The prolonged cold caused significant strains to the power grid as demand spiked both locally and across several other states. Thousands of customers were at least briefly without power locally, particularly during the morning of Tue, Feb 16th. Concerns for rolling blackouts lingered for several days in this regard due to the continued extreme demand/strain, and people were repeatedly asked to conserve energy however possible.

Severe thunderstorms developed north of a warm front and produced a large degree of damage from Brown County southeast through Deuel County. Wind gusts ranging from 50 to 95 mph downed numerous power lines and poles, uprooted trees, along with causing structural damage.

A strong surface low pressure system tracked from Wyoming across South Dakota on Friday, January 17th and Saturday, January 18th. Two periods of snowfall occurred with this system with the first snow event starting early to mid morning Friday across northeast South Dakota and ending by late afternoon. Moderate to heavy snowfall with south winds from 30 to 40 mph gusting to over 50 mph brought a period of blizzard conditions to northeast South Dakota from the morning to the late afternoon on Friday. By Friday evening, a brief lull in the winds allowed for improvements to the visibility.||A second quick period of snowfall occurred in the late evening and early morning hours with an Arctic cold front coming in from the northwest. Northwest winds of 30 to 40 mph gusting to over 50 mph behind the front brought a second round of blizzard conditions from late Friday evening into the early morning hours Saturday. Ground blizzard conditions then continued through much of the day Saturday across northeast South Dakota. Very cold air moved in with the northwest winds as well.||Impacts included road closures such as I-29 across all of eastern SD from Friday evening through the afternoon Saturday. Portions of I-90 were also closed with other roads closed for even longer. Some power outages occurred along with many vehicles in ditches. The Arctic front surge on Friday evening caught a resident in Mcpherson county off guard. He left Long Lake in the late evening where about 3 inches of snow had fallen with no wind. As he traveled to Highway 10 and turned west, the Arctic front hit with very strong winds and blizzard conditions. His pickup went into the ditch only 3 miles from home. He was stuck through the night into Saturday morning the 18th. He stayed with his vehicle and cleared his tailpipe every half hour. The pickup heater quit working at 3 am and the windows iced up. Ground blizzard conditions remained into Saturday when he was rescued about 1030 am. There was also another vehicle stranded about 100 yards away. On Friday, many schools were closed with nearly all activities canceled or postponed for the weekend. The governor closed state branch executive offices for Friday afternoon. ||Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 6 inches from the Missouri River east through northeast South Dakota. The highest amounts included, 3 inches at Sisseton, Webster, Aberdeen, Long Lake, and Clear Lake; 4 inches at Eureka, Bowdle, and Faulkton; 5 inches at Clark, Roy Lake, and Castlewood; and 6 inches at Summit, Milbank, and 3 miles east of Watertown.

A winter storm turned into a blizzard for much of the region as strong winds developed as an intensifying area of low pressure moved into the southern half of Minnesota. This led to wind gusts of 50 to over 60 mph creating blizzard conditions from the Missouri River east to the James River Valley/western edge of the Sisseton Hills. The combination of the snow and blowing snow severely impacted road conditions and travel across the region. No Travel Advised was designated for most all state and county roads and even the closure of I-90 and I-29 in parts of South Dakota.||Some accidents occurred along with several vehicles sliding into the ditch. Many events were postponed or cancelled along with many state office openings delayed on Monday, December 30th. The heavy snow and blizzard winds brought power outages to almost a thousand people in northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to as much as 20 inches as the blizzard subsided and the snow ended early on the 30th. See the storm data entry for the winter storm.

A historic blizzard affected all of central and northeast South Dakota from April 11th into the 12th. The storm came in two waves. The first wave brought a band of moderate to heavy snow and thunder as it lifted from south to north across the region during the early morning hours of the 10th. The thunder snow with this first wave brought snowfall rates of 2 inches or more an hour with initial snowfall accumulations of 2 to 10 inches. There were some areas of light freezing rain from Pierre to Watertown in the early morning hours of the 10th.||The second wave of heavy snow and strong north winds were with the main surface low pressure area moving across the central plains. The heavy snow in combination with winds gusting to 35 to 50 mph brought widespread blizzard conditions along with heavy drifting. At the storm's end, most locations received anywhere from 4 to 15 inches of snowfall with some locations reporting extraordinary snowfall amounts of 16 to 30 inches. ||The blizzard had wide ranging impacts across the region, mainly to cattle producers and roadways. Countless roads were blocked or impassable. Thousands of ranchers were affected. There were stranded herds of cows with countless calves buried in the snow (many lost). There were also some spotty power outages. Interstates 29 and 90 were closed, and most other area roads were designated by the DOT as no travel advised. Many vehicles became stuck across the region with several rescues taking place. There were also several accidents reported. Schools were closed for two days along with state offices throughout central and northeast South Dakota. With the ongoing flooding across the region from the expansive snowmelt from the winter, the additional snowmelt water from this blizzard would only exacerbate the widespread flooding across the region. Many counties declared disasters in March with several more counties declaring disasters in April for the flooding and the March blizzard. ||Snowfall amounts include 7 inches at Eureka and McLaughlin; 8 inches at Hayti; 9 inches at Miller; 10 inches at Timber Lake; 11 inches at Mobridge and Doland. Locations with 12 to 18 inches include 12 inches at Andover and Gann Valley; 14 inches at Aberdeen, Presho, Britton and Selby; 15 inches at Murdo; 16 inches at Pierre; 17 inches at Faulkton and Wilmot; and 18 inches at Webster, Kennebec, and Milbank. ||Snowfall amounts of over 18 inches include 19 inches at Sisseton, Reliance, and 7 miles east of Hayes; 21 inches at Orient; 22 inches at Summit, 2 miles northeast of Cresbard, Highmore, Hayti, and Bowdle; 23 inches at Gettysburg and Castlewood; 24 inches at Redfield and 5 miles northwest of Mission Ridge; 25 inches at Roscoe, Ipswich, Watertown, Miller, and 8 miles west of Mansfield; 26 inches at Clear Lake and Hoven; 29 inches at Clark; and 30 inches at Ree Heights. The 25 inches at Watertown broke their three day record for snowfall set in March 1937.

A record breaking surface low pressure area moved across the central plains and brought rain, freezing rain, sleet, heavy snow and blizzard conditions to most all of central and northeast South Dakota. Heavy rain of 1 to over 2 inches occurred across the east and southeast part of the region in the Webster, Clark, Milbank, Clear Lake, and Watertown areas before the precipitation changed over to snow. In between the rain and snow, a band of freezing rain and sleet occurred. Ice accumulation up to quarter to a half inch combined with high winds brought down some power lines and poles bringing many power outages along with bringing treacherous travel. Nearly 1,500 people were without power for a few days mainly for Hand, Spink, Brown, Day, Marshall, and Roberts counties. ||The heavy snow and strong winds also brought some cattle losses across the region along with some damage to buildings. Interstate 90 was closed along with many other roads across the region. Nearly all schools were closed. The State B Basketball Tournament in Aberdeen was also affected by the storm with a delay in the start time. Emergency declarations were issued for many counties for the hazardous travel conditions and impassable roads along with livestock losses and structure damage. The declarations included subsequent flooding at the end of March. Agricultural producers were eligible for loans from the USDA who incurred losses from the blizzard.||Some of the snowfall amounts include, 6 inches at Faulkton; 7 inches at Miller and Mclaughlin; 8 inches at Pollock and Roscoe; 10 inches at Ipswich, Pierre, Selby, Artas, Eureka, and 5 miles northwest of Mission Ridge. Locations with a foot of more include, 12 inches 19 miles north of Highmore; 13 inches at Bowdle, 13 miles west of Leola, and 9 miles south of Long Lake; 14 inches at Murdo and 4 miles northwest of Elm Lake; 15 inches at Ree Heights; and 16 inches 4 miles northwest of Onida and Draper. ||The heavy rainfall amounts east and southeast in the region include, 1.50 inches at Webster; 1.54 inches at Milbank and Clark, 1.91 inches at Watertown, and 2.43 inches at Clear Lake. This rain added water to an already deep and high water content snow pack across the region which would turn into flooding by the end of March.||The highest wind gusts include, 49 mph at Watertown; 58 mph at Mobridge; 60 mph at Pierre and Aberdeen; 69 mph 10 miles west of Long Lake; and 70 mph 13 miles north of Vivian. The high winds and heavy snow created 5 to 10 foot drifts.

An intense clipper system followed by a powerful arctic boundary moved across the region from northwest to southeast from the morning of the 27th to the morning of the 28th. Fresh snowfall of 1 to 5 inches on the 27th was followed by high winds gusting from 55 to over 70 mph which brought ground blizzard conditions from the evening into the early morning hours. Visibility was frequently down to zero in ground blizzard conditions. The winds and low visibility hit quickly catching many people off guard. Many people became stranded or went into the ditch and had to be rescued. There was a no travel advisory for the area.||The snowfall began between 10 am and noon and ended from 6 pm to 8 pm in the evening of the 27th before the high winds/blizzard conditions came in. Some of the highest wind gusts include, 68 mph at Aberdeen; 69 mph 8 miles west of Aberdeen; and 72 mph 13 miles east of Eureka. The ground blizzard was then followed by extreme wind chills from the 29th through the 31st.

A significant surface low pressure area lifted northeast across the region and brought widespread wet snowfall to central and northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range with some locally heavy amounts of 6 to 9 inches. Along with the snowfall came strong north winds resulting in the buildup of snow on trees and power lines. As a result, over a thousand customers were without power through the day and several hundred remained without power overnight. Spotty tree damage also occurred. The heavy snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at Westport and Hecla, 7 inches at Claremont, and 9 inches at Britton.

The combination of strong outflow winds from a weakening line of thunderstorms along with the severe drought conditions brought a dust storm to areas in and just west of the James River Valley. Wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph stirred up large amounts of dust bringing the visibility down to an eighth of mile or less at times during the evening hours. Hundreds of acres of soybeans were damaged by the winds and dust and had to be replanted. The high winds caused some downed power lines at Richmond Lake which caused some trees to start on fire. There were also several traffic accidents along with some vehicles ending up in the ditch due to the poor visibility. Some of the more notable accidents all occurred on Highway 14. There was a rear end collision that occurred with no injuries. The second accident was a rear end trailer that tipped over due to the high winds. The third accident was a head on collision in Hyde county with some injuries occurring.

An intense surface low pressure area moved from northeast Colorado to South Dakota from the 24th through the 26th. This storm first brought record breaking heavy rain along with heavy icing, which resulted in widespread tree and power line damage to the area. The rain and freezing rain then changed over to snow along and west of the Missouri River during the late afternoon and evening of the 25th. As the system continued moving northeast, snow moved east across the rest of the region through the morning hours of the 26th.||Many roads were closed and/or required a No Travel Advisory due to the snow and/or ice. One such road closure involved Interstate-90 from Wyoming to Chamberlain, SD on Sunday night, the 25th. Many motorists were stranded during the storm. A vehicle containing 4 adults, a child, and their dog became stuck in a ditch. The party waited overnight for a total of 12 hours in blizzard conditions before being rescued. During this time, the temperature fell from 38 degrees to 8 degrees in matter of minutes.||Snowfall amounts of 4 to 18 inches were reported along and west of the Missouri River, while generally 1 to 2 inches fell from east of the river to the Minnesota border. Some of the highest snowfall amounts include: 6 inches at Murdo and Mobridge, 8 inches at Pollock, 9 inches at Timber Lake, 13 inches 8 miles southwest of Keldron, 15 inches 6 miles southeast of McIntosh, 16 inches at McLaughlin, and 18 inches 14 miles northeast of Isabel. High wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph brought blizzard conditions to much of the region from the late afternoon on the 25th into the afternoon hours of the 26th. Specifically, winds gusted to 67 mph near Clear Lake and 70 mph at Pierre.

An intense surface low pressure area moved from northeast Colorado to South Dakota from the 24th through the 26th. This storm was unusually warm for the region for late December and produced record breaking heavy rain along with flooding in some cases. Significant icing occurred across areas at or just below the freezing point, which resulted in widespread tree and power pole and line damage to the area. Some downed branches and trees fell onto homes across the region. This storm also brought high winds along with snow and blizzard conditions to the region. This significant storm resulted in massive power outages, stranded motorists and closed roads. ||Ice accumulations were significant across central and northeastern South Dakota with over an inch accumulation for some locations. High winds during this event increased the amount of power pole, line, and tree damage. Those who did not see freezing rain accumulations had to deal with ice as well. The ponding of the heavy rain froze overnight once much colder air moved in. Roads and walkways became treacherous ice rinks and remained as such for many days. There were numerous injuries from slips on the ice, as well as several vehicular accidents and flight cancellations. Livestock was also affected, though most made it through the storm. Dairy operations dealt with frozen drinking water tanks.||Precipitation amounts were very impressive for late December, as the system had near record levels of atmospheric moisture to work with. Rain or freezing rain was the predominant precipitation type for those roughly east of the Missouri River on the 25th. Some of the heaviest rainfall amounts include: 0.82 inches at Sisseton and Summit, 0.99 inches at Eureka, 1.05 inches at Miller, 1.11 inches at Leola, 1.14 inches at Victor, 1.28 inches at Aberdeen, 1.34 inches at Orient, 1.44 inches at Bath, 1.48 inches at Westport and 1.73 inches southwest of Stratford. From this rainfall, ice accumulation amounts ranged from a quarter inch to nearly an inch and a half in places. The highest measured ice accumulation was 1.37 inches about 2 miles east of Summit.||Daily precipitation records were set on the 25th for Mobridge with 1.52 inches, Pierre with 0.92 of an inch, Aberdeen with 1.28 inches, and Sisseton with 0.7 of an inch. Aberdeen and Mobridge also broke records for their wettest December day on record, while Pierre recording their 2nd wettest December day on record. Finally, Mobridge also broke their record for the wettest winter day (December through February) with Aberdeen recording their 3rd wettest winter day on record. In Aberdeen, the heavy rainfall combined with melting snow and ice to produce flooding across several streets, driveways, and garages. No doubt a remarkable amount of moisture for a late December winter storm system. Rare thunderstorms, more indicative of spring than winter, were also widely reported on both the rain and snow side of this system across the area on the 25th.||High winds gusting to over 70 mph impacted the entire region on the 25th and 26th. The combination of snow and ice and high winds snapped or otherwise damaged hundreds of power poles, downed several thousand miles of power lines, damaged several hundred transmission structures and brought many substations down. Many roads were blocked by power lines. Overall, more than one hundred lineman worked to bring the power back. ||Twenty-one counties encompassing 30 communities and 3 Indian reservations were impacted. Entire communities, thousands of homes and businesses, and ultimately over 12,000 people went without power. For some, power was not restored for 10 days despite tireless efforts. All power was restored by January 4th, 2017. Water and sewer systems shut down for several days for some communities and emergency shelters were necessary. Deuel, Day, Marshall, Roberts and Grant counties were the hardest hit. County and city governments were overwhelmed by ice accumulations and blizzard conditions and struggled with maintaining accessibility even for emergency traffic. Road conditions deteriorated to the point where it took up to several hours for emergency officials to respond to 911 calls. The storm proved to be fatal when a Walworth County man fell, hit his head and succumbed to the elements on Christmas Day. ||National Weather Service operations were impacted as well. The surface observing station in Aberdeen and Mobridge were adversely affected or went completely down during the storm. Additionally, the upper air shelter, which houses weather balloons, was frozen shut and thus inaccessible for the morning launch on the 26th.||Due to widespread significant impacts, the Governor of South Dakota declared a State of Emergency on the 26th which helped facilitate the movement of out-of-state crews to aid with power restoration. There was also a Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage to public property. The total estimated damage was near 8 million dollars for central and northeast South Dakota.

Severe thunderstorms developed along the North Dakota border along a weak frontal zone and expanded into a line and moved quickly east across north central and northeast South Dakota into the early morning hours. These storms brought damaging winds up to over 90 mph as they moved east and into west central Minnesota into the early morning hours. Tree damage, power poles down, structural damage, along with some campers flipped were some of the effects from the storms.

The second windstorm in a few days occurred from the evening of June 21st to the morning of June 22nd. Some of the same areas hit by the June 19th and 20th event were impacted once again. The first bout came from a bowing line of storms in south central North Dakota that moved southeast and affected parts of northeast South Dakota with damaging winds over 60 mph along with large hail up to baseball size.||The main event occurred later on as severe storms in western South Dakota moved east at around 60 mph and morphed into a severe windstorm. By early in the morning, the line entered into western Stanley county and produced a wind gust up to 122 mph near Hayes. One person was injured here as a camper rolled. An office building was also moved and grain bins were destroyed. The windstorm continued to move quickly east and reached Pierre and Fort Pierre at around 3 am CDT. Major widespread damage occurred in both cities with winds gusting to over 80 mph. Countless trees were downed, a mobile home and semi trucks were flipped, a grain silo was destroyed, along with several buildings damaged. Also, power poles were snapped and lines were downed across parts of the area leaving many people without power for several days. Winds as high as 70 mph continued for some time after the storm's passage in Pierre. The storms then went on to the east and southeast producing more wind damage to structures and trees.

An early morning thunderstorm brought a lightning strike to the Citizen's Building on South Main Street in Aberdeen. The lightning strike took out the elevator and phone system on the sixth floor with power disruptions elsewhere. The fire department was called to the building when a burning smell was noticed with no fire found. A person watched the lightning strike the lightning rod on the top of the building.

A large upper level low pressure trough combined with warm air aloft and cold air at the surface to bring freezing rain to parts of northeast South Dakota. Ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch occurred on power lines and trees. Some power poles and tree branches were also downed. The glaze of ice caused some power outages along with dangerous travel conditions. Power outages affected up to 2300 customers for several hours. The freezing rain then changed to snow with some heavy snow across the northern part of the region. Some ice accumulation amounts included; a quarter of an inch in Groton, Doland, Clark, Watertown, Estelline, and south of Gary. Ice accumulations up to half inch occurred south of Garden City.

An intense area of low pressure moved across the region bringing blizzard conditions to much of central and northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts of 4 to 14 inches along with northwest winds gusting over 40 mph brought widespread low visibilities to less than a quarter of a mile at times. Most schools were closed on both the 28th and 29th. Interstates 29 and 90 were also closed for awhile during the storm. There were several cars and semis stranded along with a few accidents. The power was out for a time for several hundred customers. Some snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at McLaughlin, Timber Lake, Pollock, Eureka, Seneca, and Murdo; 7 inches at Selby, Bowdle, Roscoe, and Webster; 8 inches at Aberdeen, Doland, and Gettysburg; 9 inches at Kennebec and Roy Lake; 10 inches at Miller and Victor; 11 inches southeast of Faulkton; 12 inches at Highmore and Little Eagle; 12 inches at Sisseton; and 14 inches west of Turton and west of Gann Valley.

A record breaking surface low pressure area moved across the Northern Plains and brought high winds to all of central and northeast South Dakota from the early morning of the 26th into the early evening of the 27th. Sustained northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 60 to 75 mph caused scattered property damage across the region along with blowing several vehicles off the road. Along with the high winds came snowfall of 1 to 5 inches which resulted in treacherous driving conditions. Several schools started late on the 27th due to the slippery roads and high winds.||The high winds, combined with slippery roads at times, blew several semis and other vehicles off the road on Interstate-29 and at several other locations across the region. Only minor injuries occurred with these incidents. The high winds damaged many traffic signs and signals, downed many power lines and poles, along with downing branches and several trees. As a result, several hundred customers were without power for a time across the area. The high winds caused roof and siding damage to many buildings along with damaging some fences. A shed was also completely destroyed near Sisseton.

Several supercell thunderstorms developed along a very strong warm front and produced nine tornadoes from Akaska to Bowdle to Hecla. The largest of the tornadoes was an EF4 tornado which occurred near Bowdle. This tornado produced devastating damage in the Bowdle area. The other tornadoes ranged from EF0 to EF2 and caused extensive tree and building damage. Nearly one-hundred power poles were downed along with several high line towers leaving nearly a thousand customers without power. Also, very strong straight line winds and large hail up to the size of golfballs affected parts of the area causing some damage.

Very strong south winds developed over central and northeast South Dakota in the early afternoon and continued into the early evening hours. South winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts to near 70 mph caused some structural and shingle damage across the area. In Presho, the chamber sign was blown down with a carport tipped and damaged. A pickup on Interstate-90 lost a camper to the high winds.||The high winds, combined with lowered humidity and dry fuels, helped fan several grassland fires across the region. The largest fire was started from a downed power line in Campbell County near the town of Glenham. The fire grew to be five miles long by two miles wide and traveled eight miles before it was brought under control. Almost 6000 acres were burned with nearly 20 fire departments dispatched.

A large upper level low pressure area combined with a cold surface high pressure area building in from the north brought light snow and very strong winds creating widespread blizzard conditions across north central and northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts of 1 to 4 inches combined with north winds of 25 to 40 mph gusting up to 55 mph created frequent whiteout conditions across the area. Travel was significantly affected or halted and several schools were closed. Interstate-29 was closed from the North Dakota border and south on the 25th until the morning of the 26th. The blizzard hampered efforts to restore power to the thousands of customers from the previous winter storm. The snowfall began in the morning hours from 6 to 10 am and ended around the time the blizzard conditions subsided.

A broad upper level low pressure area over the Upper Midwest associated with an intense surface low pressure area brought widespread heavy snow along with blizzard conditions to central and northeast South Dakota. The storm was a slow mover and produced several rounds of snow over a three-day period. Total snowfall amounts were from 7 to as much as 25 inches. The heavy snow combined with winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph brought widespread blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently less than a quarter of a mile.||This blizzard ranked in the top three for the entire state snowfall with a state average of 15.4 inches. Most of the state received 10 inches of snowfall or more with many locations with 20 inches or more. Pollock in north central South Dakota set an all-time high three-day snowfall total with 17 inches. ||Prior to the onset of the storm, the Governor declared a state of emergency for South Dakota. Large portions of both Interstates 29 and 90 across South Dakota were closed late on Thursday, December 24th. Both Interstates were closed through Christmas Day and into Saturday, December 26th. There were some stranded holiday travelers due to the road closings along with a few rescues. Most roads were reopened by Sunday morning, December 27th. There were also several vehicle accidents with nothing serious. Several airports were also closed throughout the storm along with a few spotty power outages occurring in Lyman county in central South Dakota. The President declared a disaster area for public assistance for several counties in central and north central South Dakota. Costs were estimated in the several hundreds of thousands of dollars. ||Total snowfall amounts over the three-day period predominantly ranged from 1 to 2 feet. Snowfall amounts with a foot or more included; 12 inches at Mobridge, Eureka, Waubay, and Eagle Butte; 13 inches at Highmore and Miller; 14 inches at Castlewood, Summit, Watertown, Pierre, and Ree Heights; 15 inches at Groton, Gettysburg, Webster, Wilmot, Hayti, and McLaughlin; 16 inches at McIntosh, east of Hayes and east of Hosmer; 17 inches at Timber Lake, Britton, and Pollock; 18 inches near Victor; 20 inches near Keldron; 22 inches at Murdo; 23 inches at Sisseton and 25 inches at Kennebec.

A strong area of low pressure moving across South Dakota and into Minnesota brought widespread rain, freezing rain, and snow to central, north central, and northeast South Dakota. Much of the freezing rain fell across central and north central South Dakota west of the Missouri River. As the freezing rain changed over to snow and the winds increased, the ice and snow buildup on the power lines and poles caused hundreds of power poles to break across Jones, Stanley, Dewey, and Corson counties. East of the Missouri River, the colder air and stronger winds moved in changing the rain over to snow. Strong winds of 30 to 45 mph with gusts near 60 mph brought widespread blizzard conditions to all of the area.||Ice buildup from the freezing rain ranged from a tenth to as much as an inch for counties west of the Missouri River. Snowfall amounts across the entire area generally ranged from 2 to 8 inches with a 15 inch amount recorded in southwest Corson County. Some of the snowfall amounts included: 3 inches at Eagle Butte, Blunt, Kennebec, Mission Ridge, and Onida; 4 inches at Pollock, Gettysburg, and Bowdle; 5 inches south of Harrold, Iona, and near McIntosh; 6 inches at Mobridge; 7 inches at Murdo; 8 inches at McLaughlin, and 15 inches southwest of Keldron.||All 4,600 customers of the Moreau-Grand Electric company lost power due to the storm. The last time this occurred was during the winter of 1967-68. The monetary loss to this cooperative and other electric cooperatives for Jones, Stanley, Corson, and Dewey counties was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There were over 100 line workers working countless hours with crews coming from as far away as Nebraska and Iowa to assist in the power recovery. Over 1,000 customers were without power for an extended period of time. Cell phone coverage was also knocked out for parts of the West River area due to downed towers.||The blizzard resulted in numerous school, business, and road closures along with flight cancellations. Interstate-90 was shut down from Mitchell, South Dakota to the Wyoming border from Thursday the 6th until Friday evening of the 7th. Many semi trucks and cars were stranded along the Interstate with many people being rescued. Many travelers took shelter in Murdo, Chamberlain, and Pierre until the Interstate reopened Friday evening. There were also several accidents across the area with a serious accident in Walworth county on Highway 83 near the Potter county line. In the early afternoon hours of Friday the 7th, slippery roads, high winds, and low visibilities contributed to the rollover of a passenger van carrying seven students. The passenger van rolled several times causing serious injuries to three of the students. Also, a semi truck rolled over on an icy and snowy Highway 45 south of Miller in the late afternoon hours of the 6th. The driver received minor injuries. The Governor declared a state of emergency on the 7th, and President Bush declared South Dakota a disaster area.

A fast moving cold front ushered in very strong and damaging northwest winds across central, north central, and northeast South Dakota. Northwest winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts over 60 mph began in the early morning and continued into the early evening. The high winds downed many trees and branches along with several power lines and poles. The high winds also damaged some roofs and signs and broke off many acres of unharvested corn. The highest measured wind gust was 73 mph just west of Onida in central South Dakota.

In the early morning hours of July 31st, a line of storms originating in North Dakota began to expand and surge southeast into northeast South Dakota. As the storms moved southeast, they began to tap into warmer, more humid air and rapidly evolve into a line of severe thunderstorms. Widespread damage occurred in a wide swath extending from Long Lake in McPherson County all the way into eastern Grant County and southern Big Stone County in Minnesota. The most extensive damage was generally found along and near US Highway 12 from Aberdeen to Milbank. Several observing stations in the path of this system measured wind speeds ranging from 70 mph to over 115 mph. Estimated wind speeds from damage surveys indicated even stronger winds with peak speeds of 120 mph. ||Over fifty communities in northeast South Dakota and the surrounding rural areas received minor to major tree and structural damage as straight line winds from 70 to 120 mph raced across the area. Webster and Waubay received the most extensive damage from the storms. Thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted, hundreds of grain bins were damaged or destroyed, hundreds of homes, businesses, and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed along with many power poles and miles of power lines downed. Many mobile homes, campers, and boats were damaged or destroyed along with many road and business signs. Countless homes, vehicles, and campers were also damaged by fallen trees.||Thousands of acres of crops were also damaged or completely destroyed by the winds and hail. The greatest crop damage occurred in the Roslyn, Grenville, Eden, and Pickeral Lake areas in Marshall and Day counties. Many acres of corn were blown down and not able to come back. The large hail combined with the strong winds also broke out countless windows in homes and vehicles along with damaging the siding on homes. Thousands of people were left without power for up to several days. Large hay bales were moved up to 700 yards by the high winds. A semi was overturned on Highway 12 near Webster, injuring the driver. Near Milbank on Highway 12, two other semis were blown off the road resulting in injuries to both drivers. A State Forestry Specialist said it was one of the worst tree damage events he has ever seen in the Webster area. A fifty-eight year old man died two miles north of Waubay during the cleanup after the storms when he was pinned between a backhoe and a tree.

A large upper low pressure area in the southwest United States spun off a strong upper level disturbance into the northern plains. This disturbance lifting over the area along with a north to south frontal boundary, powerful low level winds, and abundant gulf moisture resulted in training thunderstorms across northeast South Dakota. The training thunderstorms produced anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of rainfall resulting in widespread flooding across Brown, Buffalo, Hand, Spink, Clark, Day, Marshall, and Roberts counties. Brown, Buffalo, Clark, Day, Marshall, and Spink counties were declared disaster areas by President Bush.

A large upper low pressure area in the southwest United States spun off a strong upper level disturbance into the northern plains. This disturbance lifting over the area along with a north to south frontal boundary, powerful low level winds, and abundant gulf moisture resulted in training thunderstorms across northeast South Dakota. The training thunderstorms produced anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of rainfall resulting in widespread flash flooding across Brown, Buffalo, Hand, Spink, Clark, Day, and Marshall counties. Brown, Buffalo, Clark, Day, Marshall, Spink were declared disaster areas by President Bush.

An upper level trough of low pressure moving across northern South Dakota along with deep and strong frontogenesis brought widespread snow, freezing rain, and rain to northeast South Dakota. The precipitation began as snow and freezing rain early in the morning on the 30th. During the afternoon and early evening, the temperatures warmed up some to bring rain across much of the far eastern counties. The precipitation then changed back to freezing rain during the evening and then to snow before ending late in the evening of the 30th. Snowfall amounts over Brown and Spink counties ranged from 5 to 12 inches while snowfall amounts over the rest of northeast South Dakota ranged from 1 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations ranged from a quarter to nearly an inch for some places in northeast South Dakota. The roads were very slippery, tree branches were downed along with a few trees, and there were several power outages for several hours.

Widespread freezing rain began in the late morning and early afternoon of the 27th creating significant ice accumulations of 1 to over 2 inches. The freezing rain changed to snow on the 28th and northwest winds increased to 30 to 40 mph gusting to 60 mph. The high winds and heavy ice accumulations caused several thousand power poles (some steel) along with several thousand miles of power lines to come down resulting in widespread power outages. The ice and wind also damaged several hundred miles of high voltage power lines and towers. Some power substations were also shut down by the ice and wind. Also, thousands of trees were either damaged or downed due to the heavy ice accumulations and wind. Many of the fallen trees and branches caused damage to homes and vehicles. The radio station in Milbank went off the air due to its tower collapsing. Tens of thousands of people in many communities and rural areas were without power for several days with some people without power for as much as two weeks. Telephone and cellular phone service was also down for several days. Countless schools, businesses, government offices, and other organizations were closed for several days. FEMA, state officials, and the governor toured the damaged area resulting in a presidential disaster declaration.Hundreds of utility workers from South Dakota and ten surrounding states worked 14 to 18 hour days in very cold conditions to bring power back to the area. The national guard also helped with getting generators, cots, blankets, and meals to storm shelters. Generators supplied power to many communities and rural areas while others continued without power. Shelters were set up for those who did not have generator power or another place to go. There were also problems with livestock with the water supplies cutoff for some time. One electric cooperative stated that repairs to the infrastructure will continue for months and years to restore a system that took decades to build.Roads were treacherous with many accidents and rollovers with some resulting in injuries. Due to the poor road conditions, many roads were closed along with Interstate 29. Around noon on the 27th on U.S. Highway 212 two miles west of Zell in Faulk county, a 59-year old man was killed when his car spun out of control and hit an oncoming pickup truck. And around 130 pm on the 28th on Day County road one about two miles south of Waubay, a 17-year old girl was killed and three others were injured when one vehicle spun out of control and struck another truck in the oncoming lane. Air traffic was also brought to a halt across much of the area. This was one of the worst ice storms in the state's history. One electric cooperative said is was the worst damage they had in their 65 years of existence. After the icing came snowfall of 2 to 12 inches which combined with the high winds to bring blizzard conditions and low wind chills to northeast South Dakota from the morning of the 28th until the early morning of the 29th. Some of the significant snowfall amounts included, 7 inches at Watertown, 8 inches at Waubay, 10 inches at Redfield, and 12 inches at Sisseton.

A line of severe thunderstorms with hail up to the size of golfballs and winds over 80 mph at times brought widespread property and crop damage to far northeast Brown, across Marshall and Roberts counties. The wind and hail caused the most damage to crops in a 20 mile to 70 mile long area from north of Britton over to Sisseton and into west central Minnesota. Much of the crops were shredded to the ground. In fact, approximately 30 percent (70,000 acres) of Marshall counties 227,000 acres of crops were damaged or destroyed. Cities receiving the most damage from the line of storms were, Hecla, Andover, Britton, Kidder, Veblen, Roslyn, Langford, Lake City, Claire City, Sisseton, Waubay, Rosholt, and Wilmot. Storm damage mostly included, trees and branches down, power lines and poles down, roof and siding damage from hail and fallen trees, some farm outbuildings damaged or destroyed, and many windows broke out of homes and vehicles. Also, many boats, docks, and campers received some damage in the path of the storms. Specifically, an aerial crop spraying plane at the Sisseton airport was picked up and thrown 450 feet and landed upside down. In Claire City, a 55,000 bushel grain bin was blown off of it's foundation and flattened. On a farm five miles north of Amherst, three large grain bins were blown over and damaged.

A powerful supercell thunderstorm produced six tornados from eastern McPherson county and across northern Brown county during the evening hours of June 23rd. The first weak tornado (F0) touched down briefly 6.4 miles northeast of Leola and resulted in no damage. The second tornado (F1) touched down 8.5 miles northeast of Leola and crossed over into Brown county where it dissipated 9 miles northwest of Barnard. This tornado brought down many trees and a barn and caused damage to the siding and the roof of a farmhouse in McPherson county and caused no damage in Brown county. A third weak satellite tornado (F0) occurred following the dissipation of the second tornado and resulted in no damage. A fourth strong tornado (F3) developed 6 miles west of Barnard and moved east and dissipated 3 miles southeast of Barnard. This tornado brought down some high power lines along with a support tower and tossed a pickup truck 100 yards into a group of trees. The pickup truck was totaled. The tornado caused extensive damage to two farmhouses, several farm buildings, and farm equipment. One farmhouse lost its garage and most of its roof with many trees completely snapped off down low and debarked. The fifth tornado developed 5 miles southeast of Barnard and became a violent tornado (F4). This tornado caused damage to one farmhouse, several outbuildings, trees, and equipment as it moved northeast and strengthened. The tornado then completely demolished two unoccupied homes, several outbuildings, many trees, along with destroying or damaging some farm equipment before dissipating 7.6 miles northeast of Barnard. Also, a sixth weak satellite tornado (F0) occurred with this violent tornado and caused no damage. This was the first F4 tornado recorded in Brown county and one of few recorded in South Dakota. The total estimated property loss exceeded a million dollars.

High winds of 35 to 45 mph gusting to 60 to 65 mph affected central and northeast South Dakota through the afternoon and into the early evening hours. The high winds caused some spotty tree and roof damage along with a few power outages. A few downed power lines in Aberdeen resulted in a short power outage for some people. Also, a streetlight pole was knocked down in Aberdeen. Some wind gusts included, 58 mph at McLaughlin, 59 mph at Pierre, 61 mph at Sisseton and Aberdeen, and 62 mph at Mobridge.

Heavy snow of 7 to 15 inches fell across much of central and northeast South Dakota from early on the 22nd to early on the 23rd. Some freezing rain also brought heavy icing in Buffalo, eastern Lyman, and far southern Roberts counties resulting in some downed trees and branches along with some downed power lines. This late season snowstorm caused many travel problems along with some accidents. There were many vehicles in the ditch along Interstate-29 in Roberts county. Many schools and events were either cancelled or delayed on the 22nd and 23rd. The heavy snow also caused problems with ranchers and their livestock with some calves lost in the storm. Around 9:30 am on the 23rd in Kennebec, the heavy snow caused the roof of the 40 by 64 foot feed and seed warehouse to collapse. Late season record snowfalls were set at Aberdeen and Pierre. Some snowfall amounts included, 7 inches at Timber Lake and Leola, 8 inches at Eagle Butte, Mobridge and Aberdeen, 9 inches at Kennebec and Pollock, 10 inches at Gettysburg, Selby, Redfield, and Webster, and 11 inches at Onida, Mission Ridge, Hosmer, and Columbia. Locations with snowfall amounts of a foot or more included, 12 inches at Britton, Ree Heights, Highmore, Blunt, Seneca, and Pierre, 13 inches at Murdo, Presho, Miller, and Wilmot, 14 inches at Roy Lake and southwest of Harrold, and 15 inches at Saint Lawrence.

High winds of 35 to 50 mph gusting to around 70 mph blew across northeast South Dakota from the late morning into the early evening hours. As a result, several trees and many tree branches were downed, many structures, roofs, billboards, and road signs were damaged, a few mobile homes were overturned and some power outages occurred. Not only did the high winds make driving difficult but, at some locations, they stirred up dirt causing visibilities to drop to near zero at times. Some detours and traffic collisions resulted due to the low visibility in blowing dirt. Airborne objects broke some windows across the area. A few semi tractor-trailers were also tipped over by the high winds. High winds included, 58 mph at Watertown, 59 mph at Sisseton, 61 mph at Faulkton, 64 mph at Aberdeen, 70 mph at Milbank, and 71 mph at Britton.The high winds and extremely dry conditions combined with downed and arcing electrical lines, out of control burns, and smoldering embers from previous fires resulted in many grassfires across northeast South Dakota. Several thousand acres of grassland, hundreds of haybales and haystacks, along with some trees and fences were burned. There were also some spotty evacuations across the area. Smoke from some of these fires created low visibilities and difficult driving conditions on some roads.