White Christmas wishes came true Friday night as a winter storm moved into the area.
On Friday, the National Weather Service in Sioux falls forecast between 7 and 9 inches of snowfall for Mitchell between Friday and Saturday. NWS meteorologist Kerry Hanko said snow would begin around 6 or 7 p.m. on Friday, and expected the snow to end around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Winds were forecast between 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph Saturday.
Hanko said accumulation could reach 10 or 11 inches in the heaviest part of the system moving through central South Dakota. She said the Interstate 90 corridor toward Sioux Falls, as well as toward Brookings and Huron would get hit hardest by the storm.
"People will certainly need to be careful out there," Hanko said. "The roads will be snow-covered, so don't travel unless you really need to."
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Hanko said Friday that cold air would move into the area late that night and into the morning.
Saturday's high temp was likely to occur in the morning, and then fall throughout the remainder of the day, she said.
