Blizzard Conditions Close Highways Snow, Wind Sweep Through Wyoming, South Dakota

Blizzard conditions with as much as 2 feet of snow shut down miles of major highways in Wyoming and South Dakota on Saturday as a strong storm system slid onto the western Plains.

The heaviest snowfall was in western South Dakota, where nearly 24 inches fell at Lead and Deadwood in the rugged Black Hills, with wind blowing at 40 mph.

Heavy snow also fell in northeastern Wyoming, with 19 inches at Ranchester, near the Montana state line, and 12 inches at Lander and Sheridan.

Poor visibility in blowing snow, with wind blowing at 30 to 40 mph, shut down nearly 300 miles of interstate highways in eastern Wyoming for periods during the morning, including sections of I-80 west of Cheyenne, I-25 north of Casper and I-90 from Gillette to the Montana state line.

However, police reported no travelers stranded along the highways since the storm had been forecast for two days. The Wyoming Highway Patrol said only minor traffic accidents were reported.

In South Dakota, a section of I-90 skirting the Black Hills was closed between Rapid City and Spearfish because of poor visibility and a downed power line, the highway patrol said.

Ahead of the leading edge of the snow, in north-central Nebraska, George Friedrich said he was out on the rolling prairie with his pickup, setting coyote traps, when rain and hail blew up and then the sun began to shine.

“I looked to my right side and here’s this big, white tornado,” Friedrich said. “I had maybe 15 seconds and I leaned down in the front seat and held on.”

His pickup was destroyed as it tumbled down a hillside but he suffered only bruises.

The short-lived twister caused no other damage, said Rock County Sheriff Willis Haynes.