Power Outage in Pickstown, SD

Wildfire. A fire started behind a business just north of Pickstown along U.S. Highway 18, and spread northward due to a southerly wind which gusted to 30 to 35 mph. The fire spread quickly into tree-covered hillsides which forced the evacuation of several residences, a campground, and a swimming beach. The swimming beach was put on lockdown after an initial group was evacuated as the fire threatened the safety of 83 additional evacuees. The fire caused sparking along powerlines which started another 50-acre fire about three miles from the earlier ignition point. The fire caused a power, water, and cellular service outage for the Pickstown area for up to three hours.

July 03, 2021

Thunderstorm Wind. Numerous power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds in Wagner. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.

June 11, 2021

Blizzard. 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 10 to 18 inches occurred, with 17.0 inches at Wagner, 13.0 inches at Platte and 12.0 inches 2 miles northeast of Academy. With winds gusting at times to around 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.

April 11, 2019

High Wind. 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. The winds included measured sustained winds of 40 mph and a peak gust of 62 mph at Lake Andes.

December 25, 2016

High Wind. Westerly winds behind a cold front reach sustained speed of 40 to 50 mph for several hours. A gust to 69 mph was measured near Geddes. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

February 19, 2016