Storm Brings Snow, Strong Winds, Cold To The Dakotas
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A fast-moving winter storm swept across much of South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota early Tuesday, creating headaches for morning commuters and prompting many schools to delay classes or close for the day.
The National Weather Service posted numerous watches, advisories and warnings for much of central and eastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota. Mid-central and northeastern South Dakota were put under a blizzard warning.
The storm that moved out of the northern Rockies brought only a couple of inches of snow, but winds gusting to nearly 50 mph blew it around and created visibility problems for motorists.
“We’ve had visibilities as low as half a mile, maybe even a little bit lower out in open areas,” said Marc Chenard, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The snow was moving east out of the two states by midmorning, however, and Chenard said he expected a lack of snow cover on the ground to limit the duration of reduced visibilities.
“I think all of the truck drivers have taken off,” said Jessica Martin, who works at the Crossroads Truck Stop in the eastern South Dakota town of Colman. “Just another day in South Dakota. We’re way ready for spring.”
The lack of snow cover in the Dakotas isn’t helping the winter wheat crop. The crop is planted in the fall and begins to grow before turning dormant when winter cold arrives. Snow covering the ground helps insulate the young plants until they reawaken with warmer weather in the spring and grow to maturity.
The Agriculture Department said in its monthly crop report issued Monday that only 64 percent of North Dakota’s winter wheat crop was in good to excellent condition. In South Dakota, only 49 percent of the crop was rated in good condition, with none is in excellent condition.
Extreme cold in recent weeks also has caused concerns among Dakotas ranchers doing early calving, though cattle and calf conditions were still rated mostly good to excellent in the two states.
Arctic air following on the heels of Tuesday’s storm was forecast to drop overnight lows in the Dakotas below zero, with wind chills as cold as the minus 30s. However, the frigid air was expected to move quickly to the east, opening the door for warm air from the south to move into the Northern Plains by the weekend, according to Chenard.
“It looks like we might see some 50s by early next week,” he said.
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