Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6 am CST Saturday...
Rest of Tonight
Snow. New snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches. Near steady temperature in the lower 20s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday
Windy. Chance of snow in the early morning...then occasional snow in the late morning and afternoon. Areas of blowing snow in the afternoon. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Highs around 20. Northwest winds 15 to 30 mph.
Windy...snow. Areas of blowing snow in the evening. Blowing snow after midnight. Snow accumulation of 4 to 5 inches. Near steady temperature 15 to 20. North winds 20 to 35 mph.
Christmas Day
Windy...snow. Blowing snow. Moderate snow accumulations. Highs in the lower 20s. North winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts to around 45 mph.
Friday Night
Windy. Light snow likely. Blowing snow. Light snow accumulations. Lows 10 to 15. North winds 25 to 35 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. Highs 15 to 20. Chance of snow 70 percent.
... Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 am CST Saturday...
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 am CST Saturday.
* Timing... snow will continue through the first half of the weekend. While snow will diminish from time to time... snow will generally persist into Friday night... moderate and heavy at times.
* Accumulations... all told from tonight through Friday night... snowfall totals of 13 to 18 inches are expected... with some 20 inch amounts not out of the question in southwest Minnesota. Ice accumulations today will be extremely 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 east 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.