Unwanted leftovers

The first major snowstorm of the winter was kind enough to wait until after Thanksgiving Day to interrupt travel, though the cold wind and fog in some areas on Thursday certainly spoke of what was to come. When the snowflakes finally began to fall late on Friday afternoon, they would continue to do so throughout the next day, accompanied by strong winds and whiteout conditions.

The storm system moved out of the central Rockies into the northern and central plains, according to the National Weather Service. Snow fell across a wide area stretching from Gillette and Wright in the west to Winner, SD in the east, and from Buffalo in the north down to Pine Ridge in the south.

Lead bore the brunt of the most recorded snowfall at 30 inches, with drifts of three to five feet. In Rapid City, new records were set at the National Weather Service office for daily and monthly snowfall.

Crook County fared somewhat better, with the area south of Beulah reporting the highest numbers at 13.5 inches, closely followed by 13 inches northeast of Hulett and 12.7 inches a mile outside Sundance.

Totals were a little lower elsewhere in the county, with Sundance and the area four miles south of Devils Tower reporting nine inches.

In Sundance, says Susan Sanders, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, “For the month of November, the total snowfall of 24.4 inches ranks as the fourth most snow in November; the record snowfall for November is 36.2 inches in 1929. The liquid precipitation of the melted snow for November 2019 was 2.25 inches, which is also the fourth most moisture in November; the record is 4.35 inches in 2000.”

While we didn’t break any records, she adds, “For the fall months of September to November, Sundance has received 34.4 inches of snow, which is the third most, behind 38.7 inches in 1929.”

No roads were closed during the storm, though WYDOT warned against unnecessary travel due to reduced visibility and black ice. As most people were wisely staying indoors, local Christmas events including Small Business Saturday and the Ladies’ Night Block Party were rescheduled for the following weekend.