South Dakota snow now devastating the southern Midwest

RAPID CITY, S.D. – All eyes are on the southern Midwest, as the system that brought several inches of snow to the Black Hills area continues to move southward, strengthening along the way. A mix of heavy snow, ice, and blizzard conditions has caused widespread disruptions to utilities and infrastructure, leaving nearly 100,000 people without power.

Blizzard warnings were issued for eastern Kansas and are still in effect for northwest Missouri. Winter storm warnings still extended from Missouri all the way to Washington D.C. and areas of southeast Missouri through western Kentucky are currently in an ice storm warning until Monday morning. Ice accumulations are expected to range between ¼” and ¾”. Official reports of snowfall in the region are as high as 13 inches with more expected.

NewsCenter1 spoke with Jared Maples, a forecaster from the National Weather Service office in St. Louis, MO, to get a first-hand look into the conditions there.

“What we are dealing with is a system that tracked generally west to east from the Central Plains as it crossed the Rockies,” said Maples, “Sleet has been compacted to the roadway. Just that really chunky, crusty stuff that is freezing there. When you get above 2 inches of sleet, it almost becomes undrivable at that point.”

The heavy snow and ice caused treacherous driving conditions, leading to numerous accidents and road closures. Interstate 435 in Kansas City was particularly affected,

with a tractor-trailer captured on video sliding off the icy roadway

. Missouri Department of Transportation snowplows were also impacted, with at least one overturned due to the slick conditions. Kansas City International Airport temporarily shut down airfield operations Saturday afternoon due to rapid ice accumulation.

Ice has been accumulating to trees with official reports showing fallen limbs 8 inches in diameter, giving South Dakotans a stark reminder of the ice storm that hit Sioux Falls in 2013. Nicknamed “Icepololypse,” that storm resulted in an estimated 900 fallen trees and 25,000 fallen branches.

“When they’re in those wooded areas, you do start to hear that cracking sound,” Maples continued, “That is the sound of tree limbs coming down. If your house is near a tree that is susceptible to that, be wary that that could be one of those risks that are posed with this ice or amount of weight that is on trees.”

This storm will continue to move east, bringing snow to areas of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, mixed precipitation and freezing rain to Kentucky, Virginia, and Washington D.C., and severe thunderstorms with tornado potential from Mississippi to Georgia.

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Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.