Multi-day winter snow looking to impact Siouxland

A South Dakota state snow plow clears a shoulder along Highway 50 on the north edge of Yankton, S.D., on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, as light snow swept by strong…

A South Dakota state snow plow clears a shoulder along Highway 50 on the north edge of Yankton, S.D., on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, as light snow swept by strong winds reduced visibility to a quarter-mile at times. Yankton is about 200 miles east of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, which was battered by a mid-December snowstorm that left roads impassable. A 12-year-old asthmatic boy was among six people who died on the reservation during the storm. The tribe says all of the deaths could have been prevented were it not for systemic failures and a lack of timely help. (Kelly Hertz/Yankton Press & Dakotan via AP)

by: Maggie Warren

Posted: Mar 9, 2023 / 06:50 AM CST

Updated: Mar 10, 2023 / 03:59 PM CST

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) —(3/10/23, 2:30 PM): It’s been a quieter day for our Friday after a snowy day Thursday.

Despite seeing widespread snow showers throughout the day yesterday, accumulation remained relatively light with only minor accumulations between 2-4″ in most areas, including 2.5″ officially at the Sioux Gateway Airport. Some spotty higher totals were reported in the communities of Bloomfield, NE and Cherokee, IA where 5 inches of total snowfall was reported.

The heavy, wet snow fell throughout the area creating slushy conditions with temperatures at or near the 32° freezing mark, which also helped keep roadways clear as snow primarily piled up on grassy or elevated areas and roads fortunately just remained wet in most areas as snow melted on contact.

Other snow reports include:

Vermillion, SD: 4.5″

Spirit Lake, IA: 4.1″

Pochahontas, IA: 3.5″

Sheldon, IA: 3.2″

Orange City, IA: 3.2″

Spencer, IA: 3″

Norfolk, NE: 2.7″

Sioux Falls, SD: 2.2″

Now the attention turns to another, quick-hitting system that is on track to impact Siouxland for the first half of the weekend, Saturday. Starting as a wintry mix overnight Friday for some areas to the north like Sioux Falls, precipitation transitions to a slushy snow, similar to what we saw Thursday with that snow overspreading the area into Saturday morning with the majority of the area seeing snowfall wrap up into the early afternoon hours Saturday.

Accumulation-wise, impacts look minimal with widespread 1-2 inches or less of slushy accumulation expected across the area. A few areas, mainly to the north/northeast of the Sioux City metro area could see higher totals up to 3 inches.

**Forecasted Snowfall Through Saturday Morning (Updated 3/10/23, 3:58 PM)**

Temperatures climbing to above freezing by the afternoon hours should once again, keep impacts on roadways minimal as any snow that falls will likely melt on contact except in grassy or elevated areas like bridges and overpasses, although a few slick spots could develop so be cautious out on the roads as the snow falls.

After that round of snow moves out, a quieter, but windy day is expected with highs into the mid to upper 30s for the second half of the day Saturday with that dry but windy weather persisting into the second half of the weekend, Sunday.

For the latest weather updates, visit KCAU 9’s Weather page by clicking here.
And with winter hitting Siouxland, it pays to be prepared. For a variety of resources, click here.