Round II: Weather blitzes S.D. again

The second blizzard in less than two weeks socked South Dakota Wednesday, dumping upwards of 7 inches of snow on the region and prompting the closure of schools, courthouses and — once again — Interstate 90.

The storm began Tuesday evening and hit with a rush Wednesday morning. Mitchell School District Superintendent Joe Graves called off classes by 5 a.m.

And, in what has become a hallmark of this season’s winter weather, state transportation officials once again closed Interstate 90, from Sioux Falls to Rapid City.

The storm came 12 days after the so-called Christmas blizzard dropped approximately 19 inches of snow on the immediate Mitchell area, bringing holiday travel to a stop.

“This isn’t a storm of the magnitude of the Christmas weekend blizzard, but it is a strong, dangerous storm,’’ Tom Dravland, secretary of the Department of Public Safety, said Wednesday afternoon. “We urge people to make smart, safe decisions and delay travel plans if at all possible.’’

For some, that wasn’t such a tall order.

At the I-90 Travel Center in Mitchell, approximately 125 trucks sat motionless Wednesday afternoon after gates were closed on the nearby interstate.

Interstate Distributing Co. truck-driving couple Doug Wooldridge and his wife Sandra — along with their dog Abigail — of Fontana, Calif., stopped at the truck stop to fill up with gas. As Doug listened to the radio and checked the forecast, he learned of the interstate closure and decided to call it a day.

En route from Conyers, Ga., to Tacoma, Wash., with 22,000 pounds of condiments on board, Wooldridge said a little break wouldn’t hurt anything.

“It’s kind of a nice down time where we can take a little break,” he said. “You get a little fatigued when the wind starts beating you up out on the highway.”

Wooldridge has been driving truck for 10 years and has been stuck plenty of times, but never in Mitchell. He and Sandra figured they may stay in a hotel for the night and perhaps even drive over to see the Corn Palace.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, he anticipated being able to continue west this morning.

According to the state Department of Public Safety, strong winds, dangerous wind chills and blowing, drifting snow were expected to make travel almost impossible after dark Wednesday. Strong wind was expected to continue through the night, causing heavy drifting. Temperatures well below zero created dangerous wind chills.

Wednesday afternoon, Davison County Sheriff David Miles advised no travel on county highways and roads.

While he was watching it Wednesday afternoon, Chief Deputy Steve Brink said it only took about a half an hour for winds to block the westbound lane of Highway 16 at Betts Road. The road, where it passes over I-90, was drifting at 1:30 p.m.

“Until the wind goes down, they will be pretty much impassable,” Brink said of roads. “Everybody needs to stay home.”

In Mitchell, police Sgt. Scott Walton said streets were slippery. He advised drivers to use caution, leave early and drive slow.

“You can get around in town,” he said. “People need to remember they don’t have July traction this time of year.”

The county courthouse and sheriff ’s office front area closed at 2 p.m., Miles said. Other courthouses in the region closed early Wednesday as well.

National Weather Service Hydrologist Mike Gillispie said the Mitchell area had received between 4 and 5 inches of snow by 4 p.m. Wednesday. He expected up to another 2 additional inches overnight, but did not expect additional snow throughout today.

“The falling snow will pretty much be done by sunrise,” Gillispie said.

Tags: news, local, snow, weather, blizzard