Winter Weather — Gregory, South Dakota

2025-03-04 · Gregory, South Dakota

Event narrative

Snowfall totaled 4.8 inches near Pickstown, 3.0 inches 9 miles north of Gregory, 2.0 inches 11 miles south-southeast of Burke, and 1.8 inches in Gregory. Northerly winds sustained from 30 to 36 mph, which gusted as high as 55 mph near Dixon and 47 mph at Fairfax, resulted in visibility briefly from one-quarter to one-half mile with hazardous travel conditions.

Wider weather episode

A strong negatively tilted trough lifted northeast through the Central Plains and resulted in the rapid intensification of low pressure as it moved from Kansas to northern Illinois. Conditions started on the warmer side with mainly light rain, drizzle, and a few thunderstorms on the morning of March 4, but a quick transition to snow occurred by evening and was accompanied by a drastic increase in winds to 45 to 60 mph. While snowfall ended up generally less than an inch across South Dakota, lack of existing snow cover prior to this system limited the areas for which the strong winds resulted in blizzard conditions. Much of southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, and far northeast Nebraska saw closed or impassible roads by the early morning of March 5.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1252301. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.