This Day in Weather History Archive

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November 10, 1998:

Heavy snow fell across most of central, north central, and northeast South Dakota from the early morning hours of the 9th into the late afternoon hours of the 10th. Heavy snow also fell across west central Minnesota from late in the evening on the 9th to late in the evening of the 10th. Snowfall amounts generally ranged from 6 to 14 inches. Early in the storm, much of the precipitation fell as rain, freezing rain, and heavy wet snow. During the early morning hours of the 10th, northwest winds increased to 20 to 50 mph and gusted at times to 60 mph. These high winds brought widespread blizzard conditions into the late evening hours of the 10th. On both the 10th and 11th, most area schools were closed, along with many highways, including Highways 12 and 83. Interstates 29 and 90 were also closed due to slick roads and near zero visibilities. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in this storm, with many people needing rescue, and many motorists also slid off the roads. There were also numerous accidents, with a few resulting in injuries. Due to the ice build up from the rain, freezing rain, and wet snow early in the storm, along with the strong winds, many tree limbs, some trees, and power lines and poles were brought down, which resulted in multiple power outages across the region. The area most affected with power outages was north of a line from Mobridge to Ipswich, along Highway 212, north to the North Dakota border. Some 25 cities were affected with power outages. Hosmer was without power for over 40 hours. At South Shore, a family lost power for 120 hours. A lineman tried to get to the home twice, but could not because of the low visibility. A teenager was also lost overnight near South Shore while he was hunting with friends. He was found at 8am the next morning. In Watertown, two people were injured in an accident. Several of the downed trees across parts of the area blocked traffic for a time. Numerous businesses were closed and activities were cancelled on the 9th and 10th. In Pierre, the strong winds ripped the canopy off the Amoco gas station. The blizzard brought the fifth lowest barometric pressure on record to Watertown. Some snowfall amounts from this horrible blizzard included; 15.4 inches near Bryant; 12.5 inches in Webster; 12.3 in Pierre; 10.8 in Sisseton; 10.5 inches near Summit; 10.0 inches in Pollock and near Onida; and 9.0 in Blunt and Conde.

Record Highs:	Record Lows:
Aberdeen: 70 (1912)	Aberdeen: -7 (1896)
Kennebec: 85 (1958)	Kennebec: -3 (1986)
Mobridge: 70 (1989)	Mobridge: -5 (1986)
Pierre: 74 (1954)	Pierre: -5 (1986)
Sisseton: 71 (1954)	Sisseton: 0 (1979)
Timber Lake: 69 (1989)	Timber Lake: -9 (1986)
Watertown: 70 (1930)	Watertown: -2 (1926)
Wheaton: 73 (1954)	Wheaton: -3 (1979)

Record Precipitation:	Record Snowfall:
Aberdeen: 0.80" (1919)	Aberdeen: 8.0" (1919)
Kennebec: 0.60" (1998)	Kennebec: 3.0" (1998)
Mobridge: 0.67" (1970)	Mobridge: 3.2" (1970)
Pierre: 0.59" (1998)	Pierre: 5.3" (1998)
Sisseton: 1.10" (1998)	Sisseton: 9.0" (1998)
Timber Lake: 0.58" (1970)	Timber Lake: 4.0" (1978)
Watertown: 1.37" (1919)	Watertown: 3.5" (1919)
Wheaton: 1.11" (1998)	Wheaton: 8.0 (1998)"