Warnings and Advisories Up for Strong Winds

High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories for the central and western regions of South Dakota go into effect later this morning as northwest winds are expected to increase and remain strong through tonight and into Friday.

Wind gusts as high as 45mph are expected across the east, to 60mph across central and the southwest, and gusts up to 70mph in the northwest are in the forecast for today. These strong winds will continue into tonight and Friday, with the strongest gusts up to 75mph possible in the west.

In addition to the winds, scattered areas of wintry precipitation are anticipated this afternoon, with a higher likelihood of snow showers tonight into Friday. The combination of strong winds and these snow pockets may lead to sudden reductions in visibility and isolated travel difficulties.

Then the cold air will settle in for the weekend with feels-like temperatures dropping well below zero, with teens and 20s below zero for Saturday morning.