Blizzard — Meade Co. Plains, South Dakota

2000-02-25 to 2000-02-26 · Meade Co. Plains, South Dakota

Wider weather episode

A strong storm system hit the western portion of South Dakota. Strong winds from 30 to 50 mph with gusts to 75 mph created blizzard conditions generally north of Interstate 90. Snowfall totals north of Interstate 90 ranged from 3 to 10 inches with drifts of two to three feet. Visibilities were below a quarter mile for most of the event. South of Interstate 90, winds gusted up to 50 mph and snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 6 inches. Visibilities were less than a mile across this area. In the Black Hills, there was 29.9 inches of snow at Lead, 18.7 inches of snow at Deadwood and 6 or more inches through the rest of the Central and Northern Hills. The interstate was closed from Kadoka to the Wyoming border for nearly 12 hours. There were numerous minor accidents, as well as several vehicles and semi-trucks stuck on the interstate. A few serious accidents occurred mainly along the interstate. A semi-truck jack-knifed at Kadoka and another one slid off the interstate and tipped over at New Underwood. Near Sturgis, a truck hydroplaned and rolled over several times. The driver had several cuts and bruises. A multi-vehicle accident near Tilford started when a semi-truck collided with a Dept. of Transportation vehicle, which caused a chain reaction. Several cars swerved to miss the first accident and collided together. A child and two adults received minor injuries.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5133995. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.