Winter Weather — Lincoln, South Dakota

2023-03-16 to 2023-03-17 · Lincoln, South Dakota

Event narrative

A brief period of light freezing rain resulted in a light glaze of icing, prior to a period of snowfall that accumulated to 3.1 inches at the COOP site in Canton. Northerly wind increased by the afternoon of March 16 with gusts as high as 47 mph at South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD519 10 miles east of Davis, resulting in periodic visibility of one-half to one mile. Slick roads lingering into the morning of March 17 as a result of drifting and flash freeze caused a driver to lose control of their vehicle on 276th St. around 3 miles southeast of Tea. The vehicle crossed the center line where it struck a semi-truck and resulted in the indirect fatality of the driver of the passenger vehicle. Winds increased again during the later morning and afternoon of March 17 with occasional convective snow showers that briefly reduced visibility at times to one mile or less.

Wider weather episode

A rapidly strengthening storm developed across the Northern Plains and into the western Great Lakes on March 16-17. An initial band of precipitation developed during the early morning hours of March 16 from eastern South Dakota into southwestern Minnesota. While precipitation started in many locations as light rain or brief light freezing rain, a sharp fall in temperatures in the morning hours forced a change to a couple hours of heavy snowfall, accompanied by increasing northerly wind. With most ditches already full and snow depths the morning of March 16 between 5 and 15 inches near and north of Interstate 90, the new snowfall and winds which gusted as high as 45 to 55 mph led to the very rapid development of significant snow drifts and widespread blowing snow with near-blizzard conditions, on top of the added hazard of a flash freeze.

Wind diminished after 6 pm March 16, but strengthened again during the afternoon of March 17, with very brief visibility of a quarter mile or less at many exposed locations. I-90 west of Sioux Falls and I-29 north of Sioux Falls were closed, along with no travel recommendations on secondary roads, into early Saturday morning.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1091071. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.