Power Outage in Wessington Springs, SD

Blizzard conditions led to a shutdown of government offices and schools, and travel was not recommended due to the widespread whiteout conditions. Almost unprecedented amounts of storm-total snowfall occurred, with the 3-day snowfall of 20.0 inches at Wessington Springs the second greatest 3-day snowfall total on record. With winds gusting to around 50 mph, many areas had snow drifts of 5 to 10 feet, making many roads impassable. Spotty power outages occurred.

High winds from a westerly direction followed a low pressure system which had brought Christmas Day rain and thunderstorms. There were reports of power lines and branches down with resulting power outages, and traffic lights damaged. Sustained winds over 40 mph and gusts over 55 mph were estimated by law enforcement.

Westerly winds behind a cold front reach sustained speed of 40 to 45 mph for a few hours. A gust to 63 mph was measured near Wessington Springs. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

Freezing rain produced ice accumulations, including a quarter inch of ice at Wessington Springs. The freezing rain was followed by 1 to 3 inches of snow, and strong northwest winds which produced some drifting snow and a few areas of blowing snow. Roads were made very icy, there was damage to power lines and resulting power outages, and school classes were cancelled.

A tornado damaged at least 43 homes in Wessington Springs, making at least 26 of them uninhabitable. The tornado also destroyed at least 3 businesses and damaged 9 others. The tornado also caused considerable damage to power lines, power poles, and trees, resulting in power outages to the entire town. Vehicles and signs were also damaged. The damage included an estimated 1.2 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. There were no reported fatalities and one minor injury. The tornado also caused an unknown amount of damage to corn and soybean crops.

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. The 8 inch accumulation report was from Wessington Springs.

Snow, beginning briefly as rain, fell from around noon on April 10th to the start of the evening of April 11th. The snow accumulated 6 to 11 inches with the 11 inch report at Wessington Springs. The snow 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 caused significant icing of roads, trees, and power lines, and was followed by 5 to 8 inches of snow. Travel was greatly slowed, and numerous vehicles slid off roads. Ice accumulation was up to a quarter inch at some places.

Lightning struck an electrical substation, causing power outages in Wessington Springs and in nearby rural areas.

Thunderstorm winds damaged numerous structures. The roofs and siding of several homes were damaged, and the roof of a camping bath house was blown off. A picnic shelter and a baseball grandstand were destroyed, as were lumber yard structures. The brick wall of a high school was damaged. The storm overturned and heavily damaged a camper and a van. Several other vehicles were heavily damaged by tree or other debris, including at least two inside destroyed small garages. The walls of a church were damaged when moved slightly by the wind. There was widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. Power lines were blown down, resulting in power outages. Several windows were broken.

Thunderstorm winds blew over and damaged a large camper. The winds also caused tree damage, including at least two large trees blown down. Power lines were blown down, resulting in a power outage lasting three hours.