Power Outage in Parkston, SD

Light freezing drizzle started prior to sunrise and continued through the morning. Ice accumulation on elevated surfaces reached upward of one tenth of an inch, with lesser ice also accumulating on roads and bridges which produced dangerous conditions for several hours. Brief power outages occurred during the early morning hours.

Blizzard conditions led to a shutdown of government offices and schools, and travel was not recommended due to the widespread whiteout conditions. Storm-total snowfall from 8 to 16 inches occurred, with 14.0 inches at Parkston and 10.0 inches at Menno and 11 miles south of Emery. With winds gusting at times over 50 mph, many areas had snow drifts of several feet, making roads impassable. Ice accumulation of one to two tenths of an inch occurred, resulting in spotty power outages as wind increased. Power was lost for numerous hours for the communities and areas surrounding Freeman and Menno.

High winds from a westerly direction followed a low pressure system which had brought Christmas Day rain and thunderstorms. There were several reports of power lines and branches down and resulting power outages, as well as damaged traffic lights and signs. The winds included a measured sustained winds of 40 mph and a peak gust of 56 mph measured by South Dakota State University equipment at Parkston.

Westerly winds behind a cold front reach sustained speed of 40 to 50 mph for a few hours. A gust to 75 mph was measured near Parkston. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

An extended period of precipitation began with freezing rain quickly producing moderate to heavy ice accumulations, ranging up to more than a quarter of an inch. The precipitation then changed to sleet and then snow, with sleet and snow accumulations reaching the 5 to 8 inch range. Numerous branches and power lines were downed by the weight of ice and accompanying wind, with much of the power line damage affecting rural electric cooperatives. Trees and tree debris blocked roads, and damaged some vehicles and homes. Several power outages were reported. The winter precipitation made travel impossible in many areas, resulting in schools and businesses being forced to close.

Snow accumulating 5 to 8 inches was accompanied by north to northeast winds gusting to around 40 mph. The combination resulted in visibilities frequently lowering to a quarter mile or less and, along with drifting snow, made travel difficult to impossible. Power outages were reported from snow weighting down power lines, and snow laden trees falling on lines.

Snow, beginning briefly as rain, fell from around noon on April 10th to midday on April 11th. The snow accumulated 4 to 8 inches and was accompanied by north winds averaging around 30 mph and gusting to 45 mph. This produced blizzard conditions for much of the time, with zero visibilities and drifting snow making travel impossible. Schools and numerous businesses were forced to close. Power outages were reported as some power lines were downed by the combination of wet snow and strong winds.

Freezing rain and snow caused heavy icing of roads, trees, and power lines, with 2 to 6 inches of snow. Travel was brought to a standstill in places and many vehicles slid off roads. Ice accumulation was between a quarter and a half inch. Numerous power lines and tree branches were brought down by the ice, resulting in power outages.

Freezing rain caused significant icing of around a quarter inch, which caused branches and power lines to break in a few places. The freezing rain was followed by 1 to 3 inches of snow. Travel was greatly slowed. Classes for December 21st were cancelled at several schools.

Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage. The amount of damage was not known.

Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage.

Freezing rain and snow fell over part of southeast South Dakota in the western Missouri to James River area, from Gregory and Pickstown in the west to Mitchell and Freeman in the east. The precipitation fell from the evening of Wednesday December 20th through the morning hours of Thursday December 21st. Icing of a quarter inch or more broke off tree branches and power lines. Snow accumulations following the freezing rain varied from 1 or 2 inches in the eastern part of this area to as much as 7 inches in Gregory County. Travel was severely hampered. Classes for December 21st were cancelled at several schools.