This week's blizzard added another foot of snow to the winter's above-normal totals

SIOUX FALLS — This week’s blizzard dropped a significant amount of snow across much of eastern South Dakota, adding more than a foot of powder to the season’s already-above average snow totals.

Just shy of 13 inches of snow fell across much of Sioux Falls between Tuesday, Feb. 21, and Thursday, Feb. 23. The National Weather Service recorded 12.6 inches at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. On social media, various local reports tallied higher, with one user reporting 14 inches in the city’s southeast corner.

South Dakota State University’s Mesonet station at Sertoma Park in Sioux Falls recorded a snow depth of 15 inches just before 11 a.m. Thursday. Strong winds overnight led to significant snow drifting in developed areas, with one Twitter user sharing photos of a four-foot drift climbing their fence.

This week’s winter storm brought the seasonal snowfall total at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport to 56.4 since Oct. 1. That is 25 inches above the historical average through Feb. 23.

Contributed / National Weather Service

This winter’s snowfall total sits more than 30 inches below the winter of 1968-69, which saw 84.1 inches between Oct. 1 and Feb. 23.

Across eastern South Dakota

Areas to the north and west of Sioux Falls saw more snowfall this week than the state’s largest city.

Though official totals for other cities are not yet available from the NWS, an observer recorded 25.2 inches of snow in Huron, 11 of which fell on Wednesday, shattering the seven-inch daily snowfall record set in the city in 1965.

A Mesonet station in Letcher — roughly 15 miles northwest of Mitchell — reported a snow depth of 20 inches Thursday morning after Mitchell set a new daily snowfall record for Wednesday with 8.3 inches of new snow.

Contributed / National Weather Service

Below-zero wind chills expected

Though the blizzard warning is set to expire at noon in southeastern South Dakota, harsh wind chills are expected to remain in the area until early Friday morning.

Thursday’s wind chills are expected to remain in the negative-teens during the day before dipping to the minus 20s in the evening hours.

Early Friday will start off cold, with below-zero temperatures and wind chills as cold as minus 30 until noon. A midday warming will see temperatures peak above zero with wind-chills remaining below zero until roughly noon on Saturday.

Up to date weather forecasts can be found on the National Weather Service’s website.