Power Outage in Woonsocket, SD

A persistent period of light freezing rain and freezing drizzle resulted in ice accumulation to one-quarter inch on elevated surfaces. Several power outages occurred in rural eastern sections of Sanborn county near and north of State Highway 34 as winds increased to a gusty 30 to 40 mph by evening. Cold temperatures the following day kept ice present on surfaces well into April 5.

Multiple branches, some up to 2-feet in diameter, were downed along with several power lines.

Seven power poles along South Dakota Highway 34 were damaged by thunderstorm winds, six of those snapped.

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 reached 12 to 20 inches, with 18.0 inches at Forestburg and Woonsocket. With winds gusting at times to around 50 mph, snow drifts to several feet made 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. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

Thunderstorm winds blew down a scoreboard at a football field, caused tree damage at a cemetery and elsewhere on the northwest side of Woonsocket, and blew down power lines, causing a power outage.

Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines and tree branches.

Snow, beginning briefly as rain, fell from around noon on April 10th to the start of the evening of April 11th. The snow accumulated 5 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.

A tornado, crossing into Sanborn County from Jerauld County, destroyed or severely damaged several buildings on two farms. The tornado lifted the roof off a house. Another farmhouse had windows blown out, and shingles and aluminum siding torn off. Destroyed buildings included a barn, garage, outbuildings, and other small structures. Vehicles inside the destroyed garage were damaged. The tornado also caused tree, power line, and crop damage.

Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, with 4 to 5 inch diameter tree limbs blown down.