WxChat – Weather Blog & Road Closures Discussion – 4/23/2022
Meteorologist Erik Dean breaks down the latest on the road conditions, plus a look at your 7-Day Forecast
WOW!!! That’s all I have to say is WOW!! What an intense 48 hours here in the NC1 Weather Center. In case you missed Brant’s coverage Friday Night, Click here to see the lightning show caught on camera! Talk about unbelievable! Not just this whole weekend, where we had Storms Friday, and a Blizzard on Saturday, but the Science behind WHY that happened is just as incredible! We’ll save that for another discussion.
A QUICK RECAP:
First of all; Take a look at this! here are some wind gust reports since Midnight. I want to point out that -LITERALLY- after I updated this graphic, Rapid City Airport reported a 74 MPH Wind Gust.
The wind will continue to linger for your Sunday so PLEASE allow yourself extra time to get to your destination, and check with your respective D.O.T. for road information, ESPECIALLY IF I-90 is in your traveling plans.
Now, in terms of Snowfall Totals:
The heaviest report was reported to the NC1 Weather Center was 16″ 4 Miles Southeast of Gillette. Officially in Downtown Rapid City, we picked up 1.1″. How much snow did you see in your neighborhood? Upload your photos to our website by clicking here.
SO, DOES THIS PUT A DENT IN OUR DROUGHT?
The short answer is yes, BUT not that much in some areas. We are still 1.7″ Below normal for 2022 in Rapid City. Huron, needs 2.96″ of precip just to break even for the year. Sioux Falls needs just under 3.50″ just to break even. And that’s just this year. We still have Last year, and 2020 to make up for. So yes, it did put a little dent in the drought, but in the grand scheme of things, we NEED the moisture.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE: I do want to end this by giving the biggest THANK YOU to you, our many viewers and social media followers for being our eyes and ears, and ground truth during Severe Weather and Winter Weather Coverage. When I say we could not do what we do without you guys sending pictures and videos, and tweets, and emails telling what is going on in your neighborhood, We really mean that. Radar is definitely a powerful tool to have, but having ground truth from you guys is just as powerful to have, so THANK YOU for being a vital part of our weather operation.
