I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the mild temperatures over the weekend, because the warm air is long gone and it won’t be back for quite a while. The week ahead will be bitterly cold with several chances of light snow.

First and most importantly be very careful on your way to work and school this morning. Freezing rain overnight has covered roads and surfaces with a layer of ice. It is extremely slippery this morning, especially on untreated surfaces.

Today will be partly cloudy, breezy and much colder. High temps will only reach the single digits either side of zero with the wind chill factor hovering in the 15 to 30 below range. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for much of the region today into tonight.

An active weather pattern will bring several chances of light snow this week. Light snow will develop late tonight and continue through most of the day tomorrow. About 1 or 2 inches of accumulation will be possible. Another system will bring more light snow on Wednesday and yet another system will bring more light snow on Thursday.

In addition to the light snow, each of these systems will also bring down more cold, Arctic air. By Thursday and Friday, low temperatures will drop back in the 15 to 25 below zero range with highs hovering in the single digits either side of zero.

Temperatures will warm slightly by the weekend with another chance of light snow by Sunday into Monday.

A powerful winter storm system will bring 5 to 10 inches of snow to much of our region today into tonight. Snow developed across Western South Dakota last evening and has been moving east throughout the night. Moderate to heavy snow will continue through most of the day and into this evening, ending from northwest to southeast tonight. 20 to 25 mph wind gusts could create areas of blowing snow this afternoon and evening. Travel conditions will gradually improve late tonight into Saturday morning.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for much of Central and Eastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and Northwestern Iowa through this evening. Sioux Falls, Pierre, Chamberlain, Mitchell, Brookings, Redfield, Huron, Pipestone, Marshall, Redwood Falls, Worthington, Rock Rapids, and Spirit Lake/Okoboji are just a few of the cities included in the warning. The Sioux Falls Area will get about 5 to 7 inches of snow with locally heavier amounts of up to 10 inches possible across the warning area.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for locations north and south of the warning. Aberdeen, Watertown, Winner, Yankton, and Sioux City are some of the cities included in the advisory. Lesser snowfall amounts of about 2 to 5 inches can be expected in the advisory area, however there could be locally heavier amounts.

Temperatures are in the mid teens this morning and will continue to fall throughout the day. Because it is so cold, the snow will be light, fluffy and prone to blowing and drifting. While the wind will not be as strong as it was with our last winter storm, northeasterly wind gusts to between 20 and 25 mph this afternoon and evening will create areas of blowing snow that could reduce visibility at times, especially in rural areas. The wind will decrease to about 5 to 15 mph by late this evening and stay fairly light through the rest of the weekend.

Other than some light snow Saturday night into Sunday morning, the rest of the weekend will be mostly dry and bitterly cold. On Saturday and Sunday high temps will only reach the single digits to teens with morning lows dropping well below zero.

We are watching another potential system that could bring areas of freezing rain and snow Monday into Tuesday. There could be some accumulation with this system. Strong wind and areas of blowing snow could also be an issue. This one is still several days away. Stay tuned, we’ll take a closer look at this one after we get today’s storm out of the way.

Light snow fell overnight and roads and sidewalks are snow covered and slippery this morning. Allow a little extra time for your morning commute.
We continue to monitor a winter storm system that has the potential to bring heavy snow to much of the region late tonight and Friday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect late tonight through Friday evening and includes much of Eastern and Southeastern South Dakota, Southwestern Minnesota, Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska where snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches are possible. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for parts of central South Dakota where snowfall amounts could exceed 6 to 8 inches or more. Northeasterly wind gusts to between 20 and 30 mph could create areas of blowing snow at times, especially in rural areas. Snow will end Friday evening and travel conditions will gradually improve late Friday night into Saturday morning.

After the snow ends, a wave of bitterly cold, Arctic air will blast across the plains. Weekend high temperatures will drop into the single digits with morning lows dropping well below zero. Saturday will be partly cloudy with a chance of slight snow on Sunday.

Temperatures will rebound slightly early next week, but our active weather pattern will continue. We are watching another system that could bring accumulating snow on Monday into Tuesday.