Blizzard recap: Roads still closed in Northern Plains

The center of the low-pressure system begins to move over Canada, and the snowfall decreases this afternoon over the Northern Plains. Let´s review what brought this round of winter weather.

North Dakota had a rude winter flashback on Tuesday and Wednesday as blizzard conditions forced highways to close overnight and Wednesday morning. Essentially the eastern half of North Dakota had either closed its roads or had no-travel advisories in place. Other roads had ice or compacted snow which also made roads very dangerous to travel. The only roads that we were available for traveling by Wednesday afternoon were located over the western portion of the state, but the winds were still strong at times.

Snow drifts developed so fast that the North Dakota Department of Transportation would clear the roads, but snow would cover them again just 10 minutes after.

The snow greatly diminished on Wednesday afternoon across South Dakota. The numbers were impressive! Across southwestern South Dakota, just south of Rapid City, between 18-24 inches of snow fell due to this system. A larger swath, extending from Rapid City through Pierre and Grand Forks, N.D., received between 8-12 inches with some spots up to 18 inches. Bismarck, N.D., received 4 to 6 inches.

The South Dakota Transportation Department announced that Interstate 29 will remain closed overnight on Wednesday into Thursday as the winds will continue to be strong, and roads are just impassable.