Widespread snow and blowing conditions on Friday are expected to precede bitterly cold temperatures this weekend throughout central South Dakota.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, Mitchell was expected to receive 8 inches of snow, appearing to be in the heart of the most recent snow forecast from the National Weather Service. The same could be said for much of southeast South Dakota, which was estimated to receive 6 to 8 inches of snow, from Huron to Yankton and from Chamberlain to Sioux Falls. The Huron, Chamberlain, Mitchell and Sioux Falls areas are in a Winter Storm Warning, which will go into effect at 3 a.m. Friday and continue through 6 p.m.
The snow is expected to start early Friday morning and continuing throughout the day. The National Weather Service said Friday that the snow is expected to be most intense from the late morning hours through the early evening, while winds are likely to gust from 20 to 25 mph throughout the day Friday. The storm is expected to create difficult driving conditions, low visibility, blowing snow and slick roads.
Snow and wind will arrive before a cold arctic air mass moves in on Saturday morning and stays through Sunday, creating dangerous conditions outdoors. Daytime temperatures will be in the single digits, while dangerous wind chills will be between minus-10 and minus-25 on Saturday and Sunday morning. Air temperatures overnight during the weekend are expected to be below zero.
