Winter storm

Crews push their way through a massive snowdrift plugging an overpass on Interstate 90 near Kadoka. (Courtesy of State of South Dakota Highway Crew)

Risky rescues have state pondering approach to drivers who ignore road closures

BY: - January 25, 2023

PIERRE – Hundreds of motorists drove around Interstate blockades or ventured onto snowed-over highways during a two-week storm event late last year, diverting the energies of emergency responders to rescues that sometimes put those responders at risk.  That’s not uncommon during winter storms, according to Sec. Craig Price of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). […]

(Image courtesy of S.D. DOT)

Interstates fully reopen

BY: - January 4, 2023

Interstate 90 has reopened westbound from Sioux Falls to Mitchell as of 4:45 p.m. today, according to the state Department of Transportation. Other closed portions of I-90 and I-29 reopened earlier, which means South Dakota’s interstates are now fully open. I-90 travel conditions, as reported by the DOT: Although I-90 is now reopened eastbound and […]

(Image courtesy of S.D. DOT)

Interstate 90 reopens from Chamberlain to Mitchell

BY: - January 4, 2023

Interstate 90 has reopened eastbound and westbound from Chamberlain to Mitchell as of 8 a.m. today, according to the state Department of Transportation. I-90 remains closed from Mitchell to Sioux Falls (Marion Road/exit 395). The DOT anticipates reopening I-90 from Mitchell to Sioux Falls by midday today. Meanwhile, I-29 reopened between Sioux Falls and Brookings […]

(Image courtesy of SD DOT)

Interstates close from Sioux Falls to Chamberlain and Brookings

BY: - January 3, 2023

Due to accumulating heavy snow and sustained high winds causing blizzard-like conditions and extensive drifting, Interstate 90 has closed eastbound and westbound from Chamberlain (exit 265) to Sioux Falls (Marion Road/exit 395), while Interstate 29 northbound and southbound has closed from the I-29/I-90 interchange in Sioux Falls to Brookings (exit 132) as of 8:45 a.m. […]

Wayne Boyd, chief of staff to the president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, looks at a map showing cleared and uncleared roads on Dec. 27, 2022, after winter storms. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

State responds to criticism, says it answered tribal storm needs

BY: and - December 29, 2022

The state has responded to Rosebud Sioux Tribe officials’ frustrations with its response to recent winter storms. The tribe issued an emergency declaration in response to the storms, which partially buried homes across the reservation and resulted in at least six deaths. The deaths occurred both before and after a National Guard deployment ordered by […]

Wayne Boyd, chief of staff to the president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, reflects on recent winter storms while helping with the storm response from his office on Dec. 27, 2022. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Rosebud officials say at least six dead as tribe digs out from storms

BY: and - December 28, 2022

ROSEBUD RESERVATION — Rosebud tribal officials say at least six people have died as a result of two winter storms that partially buried homes across the reservation, and some people remain trapped at home more than two weeks after the first snow fell. The fatalities included a 12-year-old boy with health problems who couldn’t be […]

The view from O.J. Semans' rural Mission home during two rounds of extreme winter weather in December 2022. (Courtesy of O.J. Semans)

Rosebud Tribe struggles to clear roads as blizzard contributes to at least one death

BY: and - December 23, 2022

The situation is grim on the Rosebud Reservation after two rounds of severe winter weather pummeled the area, contributing to at least one death. Many people remain snowed-in and some have run out of propane for their furnaces, causing tribal residents to fear there may be more deaths from the cold. Wayne Boyd, chief of […]

(Image courtesy of SD Department of Transportation)

Portions of interstates reopening

BY: - December 23, 2022

Sections of Interstate 90 and Interstate 29 will reopen today, provided conditions improve as forecasts indicate throughout the day, according to the state Department of Transportation. I-90 (westbound only) from Wall to Rapid City has been reopened. The remaining section of I-90 between Wall and the Minnesota state line has significant drifting, and cleanup is […]

Conditions on Interstate 90 on Dec. 22, 2022, between Wall and Rapid City. (Photo courtesy of Pennington County Sheriff's Office)

Governor activates Guard for firewood mission to Rosebud Reservation

BY: - December 22, 2022

Members of the South Dakota National Guard are hauling available firewood from the Black Hills National Forest to the Rosebud Reservation, pursuant to an executive order from Gov. Kristi Noem declaring an emergency related to ongoing winter storms in the state. The Noem administration announced the order Thursday night in a news release. “My administration […]

(Image courtesy of South Dakota Department of Transportation)

I-29 closes from Sioux Falls to North Dakota; I-90 closure extended to Minnesota

BY: - December 22, 2022

UPDATED 9:30 p.m. Central, 12/22/22 Interstate 29 northbound and southbound closed from Sioux Falls (at the I-29/I-90 interchange) to the North Dakota state line at 6 p.m. Central on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation.  Meanwhile, Interstate 90 remained closed from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, and the I-90 closure was extended to the […]

(Image courtesy of SD Department of Transportation)

Interstate 90 closure extends to Sioux Falls

BY: - December 22, 2022

An Interstate 90 closure eastbound and westbound from Rapid City to Chamberlain will be extended to Sioux Falls at 5 p.m. Central today, due to sustained high winds causing blizzard-like conditions, the state Department of Transportation announced. As high winds move east, low visibility and drifting snow are worsening. The National Weather Service has issued […]

COMMENTARY
Snow piles up under an interstate bridge during a December 2022 winter storm in South Dakota. (Photo courtesy of SD Department of Transportation)

Blizzard therapy: Find solace in reading about storms that were even worse

BY: - December 15, 2022

What better is there to do during a four-day snowstorm than to think about past snowstorms? “Blizzard therapy” is what author Carey Goldberg called such behavior after he read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “The Long Winter” during a 2015 snowstorm. My blizzard therapy caused me to stumble across several little-known historical writings.  One comes from the […]