MITCHELL — Residents woke up Thursday morning to a fresh foot of snow on the ground after a two-day blizzard pummeled the area once again.
According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, Mitchell officially received 13 inches of snow during the winter storm that began late Tuesday night and stretched into the early morning hours on Thursday.
It marked the second blizzard this winter that dumped over a foot of snow on Mitchell. While the snow storm has disrupted travel and buried streets, it didn’t bring as much as the early January blizzard.
The Jan. 2-3 storm that pummeled Mitchell with 23 inches stands alone as the most severe blizzard the area has experienced this winter. Prior to the latest system bringing 13 inches of snow to Mitchell, the city had seen a total of 40.5 inches this winter, according to the NWS, which brings the season total to roughly 53.5 inches.
Among the areas in the southeast and south central South Dakota region, Mitchell didn’t see as much snow as some cities north of Mitchell. According to NWS snow totals, Huron saw 17 inches and Madison received 15 inches of snow. Toward the west of Mitchell, Chamberlain received 13.6 inches of snow from the blizzard.
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City officials issued a no travel advisory late Wednesday night, as the snow intensified in the late evening hours. City crews were clearing snow from streets throughout the entirety of the blizzard and will continue working to clear the streets throughout the day.
School was closed in Mitchell on Wednesday and Thursday.
Interstate 90, which was closed for a portion of the storm, has been reopened east and westbound from Mitchell to Chamberlain. Crews were still clearing the interstate from Mitchell to Sioux Falls when this story was published.
Cold temps ahead
Though the blizzard warning is set to expire at noon in southeastern South Dakota, harsh wind chills are expected to remain in the area until early Friday morning.
Thursday’s wind chills are expected to remain in the negative-teens during the day before dipping to the minus 20s in the evening hours.
Early Friday will start off cold, with below-zero temperatures and wind chills as cold as minus 30 until noon. A midday warming will see temperatures peak above zero with wind-chills remaining below zero until roughly noon on Saturday.
Up to date weather forecasts can be found on the National Weather Service’s website
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