Tari Heitnmann of rural Lake City took this photo out her window of her front door after days of snow and heavy winds. The drift covers half of her door.
Some folks in the Veblen area were in a hairy situation during the storm last week when a charter bus, semi plus various vehicles got stuck on the highway. This photo was taken by Rafael Luna Jimenez who was driving a rescue bulldozer from the dairy.
When the storm finally calmed, several people enjoyed a community Christmas variety show in Britton Saturday night. One of the acts was Terrill “Torvill” Sorenson who entertained the crowd with some country style humor. See page 13 for more storm and variety show pictures.
Another Strong Winter Wallop
It was a(nother) storm for the ages last week in much of South Dakota. First ice and slush, mix in some freezing fog and then over a foot snow plus a light 30 mile per hour breeze. Throughout the week, the area saw an ice warning, winter weather advisories then warnings, and the granddaddy of them, the dreaded blizzard warning.
No travel was advised most of the week in much of the state. Most area schools cancelled from Tuesday to Friday. Tuesday and Wednesday saw wet weather that included ice buildup. Some in the area lost power as lines were again weighed down. Local linemen were busy again fixing outages or trying to prevent them.
The real brunt of the storm hit Thursday though. Inches of snow fell as winds guested up to 45 miles per hour. Interstate 29 was finally closed from Watertown north. State and county snowplows were pulled from the roads. People were implored to stay home. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office noted that if people took to the road and got stuck, not to expect help for an extended amount of time. Most businesses as well as Britton City Hall and the courthouse closed or never opened.
OnThursday, a South Dakota Highway Patroller shared a photo of white-out conditions by Veblen as he was responding to multiple vehicles, including a charter bus and semi being stuck. The incident resulted in locals coming out with tractors and snow blowers to help as well as the dairy sending a quad trac with a plow.
Marshall County Sheriff Sam Swanson thanked several people for helping during the incident. “This is why I love northeastern South Dakota and Marshall County,” Swanson said. “No matter what, people will stop and help. If there is a need, it will be filled. As law enforcement, I see a lot of things. I am blessed to be here, and to witness how people just show up and work together.”
As the week drug on, so did the storm. The wind howled on Friday, leading to more business closures and “no-travel advised” warnings. At one point during that day, Highway 10 was closed from Sisseton to Britton with vehicles and snow blocking the road.
Swanson said he and the local highway patrol officer had to quit keeping track of the number of people who went off the road or got stuck. “A problem was that people were using travel apps to route around closed roads,” noted Swanson. “This led people to take paths like the Buffalo Lake road that were basically impassable. We just couldn’t get out there and help everyone even if we had enough people. So we can’t say thank you enough to locals and farmers who helped those travelers out.”
When the dust (snow) settled, some locations in the area were reporting over 20 inches of snow. Britton came in at over 15 inches.
Though the wind did finally die down by Saturday, the cold then set in. The non windchill temperature Saturday night, into Sunday was -19 degrees, with similar lows the next couple days.
More frigid temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week with wind chill warnings plus another possible winter storm on the way. Swanson cautions people to be prepared. “Have a full tank of gas if you travel. Bring warm clothes, blankets, water and snacks. Be ready if you end up stuck for a while. And all around, stay safe.”
It seems like Old Man Winter is here and is staying for Christmas.