Blizzard in South Dakota, April 11 to 12, 2019

A historic blizzard affected all of central and northeast South Dakota from April 11th into the 12th. The storm came in two waves. The first wave brought a band of moderate to heavy snow and thunder as it lifted from south to north across the region during the early morning hours of the 10th. The thunder snow with this first wave brought snowfall rates of 2 inches or more an hour with initial snowfall accumulations of 2 to 10 inches. There were some areas of light freezing rain from Pierre to Watertown in the early morning hours of the 10th.

The second wave of heavy snow and strong north winds were with the main surface low pressure area moving across the central plains. The heavy snow in combination with winds gusting to 35 to 50 mph brought widespread blizzard conditions along with heavy drifting. At the storm's end, most locations received anywhere from 4 to 15 inches of snowfall with some locations reporting extraordinary snowfall amounts of 16 to 30 inches.

The blizzard had wide ranging impacts across the region, mainly to cattle producers and roadways. Countless roads were blocked or impassable. Thousands of ranchers were affected. There were stranded herds of cows with countless calves buried in the snow (many lost). There were also some spotty power outages. Interstates 29 and 90 were closed, and most other area roads were designated by the DOT as no travel advised. Many vehicles became stuck across the region with several rescues taking place. There were also several accidents reported. Schools were closed for two days along with state offices throughout central and northeast South Dakota. With the ongoing flooding across the region from the expansive snowmelt from the winter, the additional snowmelt water from this blizzard would only exacerbate the widespread flooding across the region. Many counties declared disasters in March with several more counties declaring disasters in April for the flooding and the March blizzard.

Snowfall amounts include 7 inches at Eureka and McLaughlin; 8 inches at Hayti; 9 inches at Miller; 10 inches at Timber Lake; 11 inches at Mobridge and Doland. Locations with 12 to 18 inches include 12 inches at Andover and Gann Valley; 14 inches at Aberdeen, Presho, Britton and Selby; 15 inches at Murdo; 16 inches at Pierre; 17 inches at Faulkton and Wilmot; and 18 inches at Webster, Kennebec, and Milbank.

Snowfall amounts of over 18 inches include 19 inches at Sisseton, Reliance, and 7 miles east of Hayes; 21 inches at Orient; 22 inches at Summit, 2 miles northeast of Cresbard, Highmore, Hayti, and Bowdle; 23 inches at Gettysburg and Castlewood; 24 inches at Redfield and 5 miles northwest of Mission Ridge; 25 inches at Roscoe, Ipswich, Watertown, Miller, and 8 miles west of Mansfield; 26 inches at Clear Lake and Hoven; 29 inches at Clark; and 30 inches at Ree Heights. The 25 inches at Watertown broke their three day record for snowfall set in March 1937.