Power Outage in Yankton, SD

Ice accumulation and near blizzard conditions led to a shutdown of government offices and schools, and travel was not recommended due to the extremely hazardous conditions. A period of freezing rain, sleet and snow resulted in ice accumulations starting the afternoon of April 10 through early April 11 of one to two tenths of an inch. As winds increased and gusted as high as 40 mph at Yankton, scattered power outages resulted as power lines were brought down. ||A large gradient in storm-total snowfall from 2 to 12 inches occurred, with 11.0 inches 10 miles north of Lesterville and 4.0 inches at Yankton. Some areas had snow drifts of several feet, making roads nearly impassable.

Freezing rain of one to two tenths of an inch caused icy roads, and accumulated on trees, power lines, and other surfaces. Yankton reported 0.18 inch of rain during a time when temperatures were at or below freezing. Law enforcement agencies reported a few vehicles accidents on the ice, but no known injuries, with traffic being light because of the holiday, business closings, and activity cancellations. Light winds prevented significant damage to trees and power lines.

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, and traffic lights and signs were damaged. The winds included a measured peak gust of 72 mph at Yankton Airport.

Westerly winds behind a cold front reach sustained speed of 40 to 45 mph for a few hours. A gust to 61 mph was measured at Yankton Airport. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

Thunderstorm winds blew down at least 3 power poles, causing power outages.

Thunderstorm winds blew down large limbs and power lines.

Freezing rain produced around a half inch of glaze, topped by sleet accumulations of similar amounts in much of the county. Travel and walking surfaces were made very icy, and the ice accumulations caused an unknown amount of damage to trees and power lines. Damage was considerable in the Yankton area, where downed power lines produced an additional hazard.

Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines, causing a power outage. The winds were accompanied by heavy rain, which produced minor street flooding.

Snow accumulating 5 to 8 inches over the northern part of Yankton County 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.

Freezing rain caused significant icing of roads, trees, and power lines, with 1 to 3 inches of snow. Travel was brought to a standstill in places and many vehicles slid off roads. Ice accumulation was around a quarter inch in the western part of Yankton County, with several power lines and tree branches brought down by the ice.|

Thunderstorm winds blew down power poles and lines and significantly damaged at least 6 houses. Some of the houses had holes blown in the walls from the flying debris. Significant tree damage also occurred with 10 to 20 trees uprooted.

Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage. There was also some damage to vehicles from tree debris.

Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including small trees blown down. The winds also blew down power lines, causing power outages in several parts of Yankton.

A prolonged period of snowfall spread into the area from the west and south, and continued for over a day. Snowfall totals were greatest in south central South Dakota, with 24 inches of snow reported at Burke and 23 inches at Geddes. Lesser amounts were reported further east, including 6 to 10 inches in the Yankton and Vermillion areas. However, even in these areas, winds gusting over 35 mph caused near blizzard conditions in blowing snow. The storm halted travel in the area of the heaviest snow, and greatly curtailed travel in other areas. Numerous schools and businesses were closed. Power outages were reported from collapsed lines due to the heavy snow and winds. This storm showed a sharp snowfall gradient, with accumulations decreasing rapidly over distance to the northeast of the main snowfall area.