Windy...snow. Areas of blowing snow. Snow accumulation of 5 to 6 inches. Near steady temperature in the lower 20s. North winds 15 to 30 mph becoming 25 to 35 mph after midnight.
Christmas Day
Windy...snow. Areas of blowing snow. Moderate snow accumulations. Highs in the mid 20s. Northeast winds 20 to 35 mph.
Friday Night
Windy. Light snow likely. Blowing snow. Light snow accumulations. Lows 15 to 20. North winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph. Chance of snow 70 percent.
Saturday
Cloudy and windy. Areas of blowing snow in the morning. Light snow likely in the morning...then chance of light snow in the afternoon. Light snow accumulations. Highs 15 to 20. Chance of snow 70 percent.
... Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 am CST Saturday... ... Winter Weather Advisory will expire at 3 PM CST this afternoon...
The Winter Weather Advisory will expire at 3 PM CST this afternoon. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 am CST Saturday.
* Timing... icy conditions from light freezing drizzle and moisture freezing on surfaces will be a problem on untreated surfaces until the snow begins. Snow will then spread north into the area late this afternoon. In addition... enough warm air aloft is wrapping into this system... that the Storm Lake Iowa has a threat of seeing a wintry mix of sleet late tonight and Thursday. Although the snow will diminish from time to time... the snow will persist through Friday night... moderate to heavy at times.
* Accumulations... all told from tonight through Friday night... snowfall totals of 12 to 18 inches are expected. Some amounts near 20 inches are not out of the question along I 90 in southwest Minnesota. Ice accumulations today will be minimal.
* Wind and visibility... winds will turn to the north and northwest on Thursday... lasting through Friday night. 20 to 35 mph winds will be common on Thursday... increasing on Friday to 25 to 40 mph. The strongest winds will be along and west of the James River Valley in southeast and south central South Dakota. The wind combined with the snowfall will likely reduce visibilities to near zero at times.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous... if not impossible at times. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel... keep an extra flashlight... food... and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
Public Information Statement
Statement as of 5:32 PM CST on December 23, 2009
... Sioux Falls climate data up to 530 PM CST...
high temperature so far today... . 28 low temperature so far today... . 25 precipitation since midnight... .. 0.04 inches snowfall since midnight... ... ... . 0.5 inches current snowdepth... ... ... ... ... . 5 inches
... Huron climate data up to 530 PM CST...
high temperature so far today... . 27 low temperature so far today... . 23 precipitation since midnight... .. Trace snowfall since midnight... ... ... . 0.0 inches current snowdepth... ... ... ... ... . 3
... Sioux City climate data up to 530 PM CST...
high temperature so far today... . 33 low temperature so far today... . 28 precipitation since midnight... .. 0.32 inches snowfall since midnight... ... ... . 2.5 inches current snowdepth... ... ... ... ... . 8 inches Missouri River stage... ... ... ... . 12.19 feet