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Arctic Air Mass Lingers for Areas of the East; Critical Fire Weather for the Plains; Active Weather Pattern for Hawaii

Arctic air lingers for the east, however, winds will slowly subside and a slow moderating trend starts during the week. Moisture continues to provide rainfall and higher elevation snow for the Pacific Northwest, northern California and northern Rockies through Monday. For the State of Hawaii, dangerous surf conditions with strong winds and heavy rainfall will impact the islands through Monday. Read More >

Overview

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, a potent weather system crossed the northern plains. In our area, this resulted in some very strong northwesterly winds behind the cold front. The strongest wind gust was 79 mph at Wasta. These damaging winds caused numerous high-profile vehicles to be blown over, including a house that was being moved. Bands of snow accompanied the wind, which caused blowing snow and reduced visibility at times. A more significant band over south central SD resulted in the issuance of our first and second ever Snow Squall Warnings, where the high winds combined with falling snow to produce hazardous conditions. This was part of the same weather system that produced severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across portions of Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. Image
Hazardous conditions that prompted our first Snow Squall Warnings.
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