PIERRE, S.D. (KLLO.com) -- The State of South Dakota is keeping portions of the state Interstate highways closed overnight.
- I-90: Chamberlain to Minnesota Border CLOSED.
- I-29: Watertown to Sioux Falls CLOSED
Also, the Sioux Falls metro remains in a Blizzard Warning until 10 p.m. tonight according to the National Weather Service.
Their forecast as of 7:50 p.m.:
Blizzard conditions. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph will cause whiteout conditions in blowing snow. Significant drifting of the snow is likely. Additional snow accumulations of up to two inches are expected.
Some southwest Minnesota counties have declared a state of emergency because of the storm.
A tweet from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety:
State of emergency declared by officials in Nobles & Rock counties. Power out in some towns, travel conditions dangerous. We are in touch w/local emergency managers. Currently no requests for state assistance. Photos from nearby Cottonwood Co. https://t.co/IJGh8oKhz3(https://twitter.com/MnDPS_HSEM/status/985278321188655106?s=03)
Below is the State of South Dakota's release on the Interstates.
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PIERRE, S.D. – Officials with the South Dakota Departments of Transportation and Public Safety say Interstate 90 will remain closed from Chamberlain to the Minnesota border and I-29 will remain closed from Watertown to Sioux Falls until Sunday, April 15. An opening time has not been determined yet.
SDDOT crews have been working in these areas since early this morning and have been unable to keep ahead of the continued snow and strong winds.
The National Weather Service has extended the blizzard warning for much of the eastern part of the state until 1 a.m. Sunday morning.
There are numerous No Travel Advisories posted on www.safetravelusa.com/sd in the southeast quarter of the state and drivers are advised against trying to take other state and local highways that remain ice and snow covered. Winds are expected to stay strong with gusts up to 35 until about noon tomorrow creating significant drifting and limited visibility.
Winter maintenance is being suspended to give crews who have been out since 4 a.m. time to rest and get back out early Sunday morning to open the interstates as soon as possible.
Get the most up-to-date information on road conditions at www.safetravelusa.com/sd, by calling 5-1-1 or downloading and checking the SDDOT 511 app before heading out.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Current Blizzard conditions have delayed the reopening of the airport.
The planned opening is now Sunday morning at 8AM. The terminal will be open by 6:30AM. Please contact your airline directly for updates on flight status and rebooking options.
(Updated 4:53 p.m., 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) I-90 has been opened from Chamberlain West & I-29 from Watertown North. Snow & strong winds are hampering efforts to keep the roads clear & safe for travel. It is likely some portions of I90 & I29 will remain closed until Sunday.
(updated 4:05 4/14/18)
SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- Sioux Area Metro (SAM) will be stopping services today at 5pm. The last bus left downtown at 3:45pm.
(updated 3:50 4/14/18)
SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- Blizzard warnings have been extended in the Sioux Falls area through 1AM Sunday morning, and until 7AM for some parts of Southwest Minnesota.
Winds gusting as high as 40-50 mph will cause whiteout conditions with blowing snow. Significant drifting of snow is likely. Additional snow accumulations of 4-7 inches are expected.
(updated 3:30 4/14/18)
SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- National Weather Service has issued an update to the current storm totals. They are expecting and additional 3-6 inches of more snow through 7 AM Sunday morning.
Southwest Minnesota can expect an additional amounts between 5-12 inches.
(updated 3:20 4/14/18)
SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- I-90 is now open between Wall and Vivian, but it is closed from Vivian to the Minnesota border. There are also numerous highways closed across the state.
Much of southwest Minnesota, including I-90, is shut down due to the blizzard.
(updated 12:40 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- Minnehaha County has pulled plows off the roads.
Plows will resume work Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol says there is heavy drifting and low visibility in and around Sioux Falls and are advising drivers to stay off the roads.
In southwest Minnesota, the State Patrol has closed all roads, including I-90 due to white out conditions. Roads in Northwest Iowa are not much better, according to Dickinson County emergency Management.
(updated 10:55 a.m. 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- The Sioux Falls Police Department is advising no travel in Sioux Falls until the snowfall and wind subside.
Visibility is currently near zero with blowing snow, and scattered slippery spots and heavy accumulations are making travel dangerous.
Winds should decrease overnight into morning, and snow removal crews are out in full force, but street conditions are not favorable for travel at this time.
(updated at 9:35 a.m. 4/4 18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) – Sioux Falls Fire Rescue says power lines down at 26th/Hawthorne, 57th/Sycamore, 14th/Minnesota & 31st/Summit in Sioux Falls.
The cities of Mitchell and Brookings have issued no travel advisories in town.
Road conditions in southwest Minnesota are poor. Winds have prompted plows being pulled from the roads in places.
(updated at 8:30 a.m. 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) – The National Weather Service says the storm has slowed down some, and could last into Sunday. Depending on where the heavy snow band sets up, some places could get more than a foot of snow.
Winds will slow down this evening, but could still be in the 30 mph range into Sunday.
The good news? I-90 from Rapid City to Wall is open for local traffic only. The interstate is still closed from Wall to Sioux Falls.
The best advice is to stay off the roads until the storm moves out.
(updated 7:15 a.m. 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) -- No travel advisories have been issued for parts of southwest Minnesota, including the Luverne, Worthington, Windom and Jackson areas. this includes Interstate 90 in those areas.
Intersate 90 from Sioux Falls also has a no travel advisory.
www.safetravelusa.com/sd
www.511mn.org
(updated 6:35 a.m. 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS (KELO.com) – At first glance, it looks like not much happened overnight. The worst is still to come.
Heavy snow is still expected to fall with winds 40 - 55 mph blowing it around. Blizzard warnings will be in force until 10 p.m. tonight.
Interstate 90 is closed between Sioux Falls and Rapid City, with Interstate 29 shut down between Sioux Falls and the North Dakota line. No travel advisories also have been posted for many roads in South Dakota, with more closures expected. Do not travel if you do not need to.
With the ice, snow and wind, power outages are possible.
(updated at 5:00 a.m. 4/14/18)
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Sioux Falls Regional Airport shut down Friday evening until Saturday at 7 p.m. because of the approaching blizzard.
Manager Dan Letellier says the runways will not be safe.
"Visibility is really a concern and even if we were not closing, visibility would be so poor that no flights would be operating anyways."
Closing the airport is rare, especially at this time of year, but not unprecedented. No one is more frustrated than Letellier. He says he was planning to fly to San Diego Saturday morning, but not now.
If you had tickets for flights Friday evening through Saturday, call your airline.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m. 4/13/18)
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Mayor Mike Huether declared that what's coming will be a beast of a storm.
"In ways we haven't seen in a long, long time, in terms of when it comes to snow and wind combining to create one heck of a beast." warned Mayor Huether at an extraordinary joint news conference Friday attended by the police chief, fire chief, and streets chief.
Huether said that the city's top goal will be protecting the citizens. He asked everyone to stay home on Saturday, enjoy family and friends - like we did in the old days, as the mayor put it. He also mentioned that this storm comes around the 5-year anniversary of the Sioux Falls ice storm.
Streets Chief Galynn Huber warned that at the height of the storm, snow could be coming down at the rate of two inches an hour.
"You'll have a snow plow that goes past on a street and within ten minutes you won't even know that we went by it, if it's snowing at two inches an hour." Huber promised that his crews will be working 12-hour shifts through to Monday.
(Updated at 3:00 p.m. 4/13/18)