Snow will begin to fall as we make our way through the evening hours Sunday especially in central and western South Dakota.  The area of snow will work its way east as we head into the day on Monday.  Snow fall will be heavy at times especially around the morning commute.  The heaviest snow totals will be south of a line from Pierre through Watertown where 4-8 inches could fall, there will also be isolated pockets with heavier amounts.  North of that line Aberdeen should see around 3-5 inches.  We will have issues with rain in the southeast, this should limit snow totals however areas just north of the rain/snow line could end up with some of the heaviest accumulations so we will need to watch that area.  Otherwise there will be a very sharp cutoff in the southeast, areas around Sioux City will most likely see mostly rain.  The snow will continue into Monday night before it finally wraps up.  In many areas because of the warm temperatures a lot of the snow will probably start melting by the afternoon hours on Monday.  Give yourself some extra time tomorrow morning and tune into KELO-TV early tomorrow for the latest! 

Reports continue to stream in from the snowfall last night and early this morning, our heaviest reports are from around Highmore where they have 14-15 inches of snow!  We have also had reports of some freezing rain and freezing drizzle around Winner and Mission as well as in western South Dakota around Rapid City, we’ve had many accidents reported around Winner as the roads have gotten icy so be sure to take your time in that area.  Otherwise off and on snow will continue in especially southeastern South Dakota through about Midday.  We could see more snow tonight in western South Dakota as another little system pushes through.  Stay Tuned to KELOLAND.com or KELO-TV for the latest.Here are some of the latest reports from the National Weather Service as well as a few pictures that we have received:..TIME…   …EVENT…      …CITY LOCATION…     …LAT.LON…..DATE…   ….MAG….      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. …SOURCE….            ..REMARKS..0700 AM     SNOW             ROSCOE                  45.45N 99.33W03/27/2008  M1.6 INCH        EDMUNDS            SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0740 AM     SNOW             CLARK                   44.88N 97.73W03/27/2008  M2.5 INCH        CLARK              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0745 AM     SNOW             CLEAR LAKE              44.77N 96.68W03/27/2008  M2.0 INCH        DEUEL              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0800 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 W ONIDA               44.70N 100.17W03/27/2008  M8.0 INCH        SULLY              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0800 AM     HEAVY SNOW       6 W PARADE              45.02N 101.23W03/27/2008  E6.0 INCH        DEWEY              SD   PUBLIC            ESTIMATES OF 6 TO 7 INCHES NEAR EAGLE BUTTE.0800 AM     SNOW             2 N HOVEN               45.27N 99.78W03/27/2008  E5.0 INCH        WALWORTH           SD   PUBLIC            TOTAL SNOWFALL ESTIMATE 5 INCHES. CURRENT SNOW DEPTH 3            INCHES.0800 AM     SNOW             15 SE IPSWICH           45.29N 98.81W03/27/2008  E2.0 INCH        EDMUNDS            SD   PUBLIC0715 AM     SNOW             REE HEIGHTS             44.52N 99.20W03/27/2008  E4.0 INCH        HAND               SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0800 AM     SNOW             CASTLEWOOD              44.72N 97.03W03/27/2008  M3.0 INCH        HAMLIN             SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0830 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WILLOW LAKE             44.63N 97.64W03/27/2008  M6.0 INCH        CLARK              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0830 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 WNW HOVEN             45.27N 99.87W03/27/2008  M6.0 INCH        WALWORTH           SD   PUBLIC0830 AM     HEAVY SNOW       HAYTI                   44.66N 97.20W03/27/2008  M7.1 INCH        HAMLIN             SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0830 AM     HEAVY SNOW       ESTELLINE               44.58N 96.90W03/27/2008  E8.0 INCH        HAMLIN             SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT0830 AM     SNOW             HENRY                   44.88N 97.46W03/27/2008  E4.5 INCH        CODINGTON          SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0830 AM     SNOW             TORONTO                 44.57N 96.64W03/27/2008  E5.0 INCH        DEUEL              SD   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE0830 AM     SNOW             WATERTOWN               44.91N 97.17W03/27/2008  E0.1 INCH        CODINGTON          SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0845 AM     SNOW             HILLS                   43.53N 96.36W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        ROCK               MN   PUBLIC0845 AM     SNOW             GARRETSON               43.72N 96.50W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        MINNEHAHA          SD   PUBLIC0847 AM     SNOW             LUVERNE                 43.65N 96.21W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        ROCK               MN   PUBLIC0854 AM     SNOW             WORTHINGTON             43.63N 95.60W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        NOBLES             MN   EMERGENCY MNGR0855 AM     SNOW             ROUND LAKE              43.54N 95.47W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        NOBLES             MN   PUBLIC0857 AM     SNOW             JACKSON                 43.62N 94.99W03/27/2008  E3.0 INCH        JACKSON            MN   PUBLIC0800 AM     SNOW             PIPESTONE               44.00N 96.31W03/27/2008  M3.0 INCH        PIPESTONE          MN   CO-OP OBSERVER0824 AM     SNOW             S FREEMAN               43.35N 97.43W03/27/2008  E3.5 INCH        HUTCHINSON         SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0835 AM     SNOW             FLANDREAU               44.05N 96.60W03/27/2008  E2.0 INCH        MOODY              SD   PUBLIC0836 AM     SNOW             1 SE MITCHELL           43.72N 98.02W03/27/2008  E1.5 INCH        DAVISON            SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0838 AM     SNOW             COLMAN                  43.98N 96.82W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        MOODY              SD   PUBLIC0840 AM     SNOW             3 WNW FULTON            43.74N 97.87W03/27/2008  E2.5 INCH        HANSON             SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0843 AM     SNOW             ADRIAN                  43.63N 95.93W03/27/2008  E2.0 INCH        NOBLES             MN   PUBLIC0844 AM     SNOW             8 E CARTHAGE            44.15N 97.55W03/27/2008  E3.5 INCH        MINER              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0845 AM     SNOW             EVERLY                  43.16N 95.32W03/27/2008  M2.5 INCH        CLAY               IA   CO-OP OBSERVER0849 AM     SNOW             2 E BADGER              44.49N 97.18W03/27/2008  E6.0 INCH        KINGSBURY          SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0854 AM     SNOW             5 N DE SMET             44.46N 97.56W03/27/2008  E6.0 INCH        KINGSBURY          SD   TRAINED SPOTTER0822 AM     HEAVY SNOW       BLUNT                   44.52N 99.99W03/27/2008  M4.0 INCH        HUGHES             SD   CO-OP OBSERVER            .20 INCHES OF LIQUID0822 AM     HEAVY SNOW       23 N HIGHMORE           44.85N 99.44W03/27/2008  M12.0 INCH       HYDE               SD   CO-OP OBSERVER0822 AM     HEAVY SNOW       DOLAND                  44.89N 98.10W03/27/2008  M7.5 INCH        SPINK              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER            .22 INCHES OF LIQUIDFrom Heather in ThomasFrom Jill of her dog Baby in RedfieldFrom a Viewer in RedfieldFrom a Viewer in RedfieldFrom Mary in RedfieldFrom Mary in RedfieldFrom Kellie in OnidaFrom Dick in Miller, about 7 inches on the rulerFrom Joan in HendricksFrom Sherry near GettysburgFrom Rick near Bloomfield

A quick update from the storm center…snow continues this hour across many areas of KELOLAND.  One heavy band of snow continues between Huron and Aberdeen.  Another has been focused south of Sioux Falls…where temperatures are hovering near freezing.  About 2-3" has accumulated around the Sioux Falls area…with the potential for another 1-3" through the day today as periods of snow continue.  At this hour, we haven’t has a lot of snow reports yet, but they will be coming in through the morning.  Feel free to post your totals in the comments section below.  And be careful driving…it’s very slick under the slushy snow!-Brian Karstens

An update to the blog below…the national weather service has now upgraded the winter storm watch to a heavy snow warning for areas just north of Sioux Falls including Pipestone, Brookings, and Huron.  See the updated advisory map below.Our snow forecast hasn’t changed.  We are forecasting a swath of 4-8" of snow starting tonight in northwest SD…through the Pierre area…and extending toward Sioux Falls.  The heaviest accumulation is likely during the overnight…with lingering snow in the east tomorrow PM.  Jay will have more updates through the afternoon as the system develops.

Winter weather is about to make a return to KELOLAND tonight…with heavy snow becoming likely in parts of the area.  We have many things to consider with this system, but the bottom line is a period of heavy wet snow with minimal wind looks likely.A heavy snow warning has been issued for parts of northern and central KELOLAND starting this evening.  This includes Pierre, Mobridge, and Buffalo.  Areas to the south toward Rapid City have a snow advisory in effect for late this evening.  Snow is still likely in the blue-shaded areas, but amounts will generally be less than 6"…with 2-5" accumulation most likely.  Because there is still room for this snow band to shift a little, a winter storm watch remains in effect for much of eastern South Dakota, southwest MN, and extreme northwest Iowa.  This watch has been expanded to the south overnight to include Sioux Falls.This system will be aided by upper air winds in the jet stream that will cause the air to lift and create clouds and areas of snow.  The air is still fairly dry with dewpoints in the teens and 20s this morning…so in spite of highs in the 40s today, the air should quickly cool this evening and evening showers will change to snow as a result.By early evening, areas of showers will be found across KELOLAND…mainly in the southeast and also in the west.Snow will be likely during the overnight, with a sharp decrease in snowfall toward the lower Missouri River Valley.  Areas of blue indicate likely areas of snow…with green indicating where rain is possible.  The map above shows Futurescan at 6am.The heaviest snow will end during the morning, but light to moderate snow may linger into the afternoon.  Areas of snow are possible south of Sioux Falls where this particular computer model shows little snowfall.  As always, snowfall totals are subject to some change as the system draws near…but I’ve narrowed down the scenerios to the 2 most likely outcomes from this storm.  Model #1 shown below shows a band of heavy snow farther to the north.  This particular scenerio puts the heaviest snow to the north of a Pierre to Sioux Falls line.  This is certainly possible given the nature of these systems and the sharp cut-offs we usually see…but  the system has started to trend south and scenerio number 2 may be heading in the right direction.The graphic below shows the direction I’m leaning with the forecast.  I think some of the snow will trend a little farther to the south durin the early morning hours on Thursday…with a 4-8" band most likely in th dark blue shaded area.  Don’t be surprised to see some 8"+ amounts in locallized areas.  We saw that last week in the northeast…and those things can happen quickly in a March storm…especially if thundersnow develops.

Well…if you haven’t heard by now, snow will make a return to much of KELOLAND Thursday…and some of it could be heavy.  We are watching a weather system that will move in from the west-northwest…perhaps not the traditional storm track of heavy March storms.  Through the years, I remember tracking many storms coming from Colorado or Kansas this time of year.  But this system will likely develop along a developing mid-level front as moisture from the south quickly returns north late tomorrow night.  There are many factors to consider when forecasting March snow.  One of them is the development of convection or thunderstorms to our south.While this happens quite often, it’s not always the case.  This is one such time…where the main player are the jet stream winds causing the mid-level air to rise and form clouds and snow.  This snow will often focus along a mid level front in a process called frontogenesis.  This is the tricky part to the forecast becasue this narrow band of most intense snow is sensitive to slight changes in the forecast.  These bands can be 30 miles in width or less…which is why there is always  a degree of uncertainty on these snow forecasts.As of right now, the heaviest band may set up just north of Sioux Falls…but a broad area of 3+" is certainly in the cards.  We have a chance of exceeding 1 foot of snow with this system in the heaviest band.  This is something that needs to watched. The snow will be heavy and wet…so blowing snow should not be a problem.  Again, stay with KELOLAND TV and KELOLAND.com for the latest on this developing system. 

We have received a large number of pictures from the snow event last night and early this morning in the Northeast… for those pictures head over to the UShare section of our website here is a link:  UShare Photo Gallery.  As far as totals here is a look at the latest from the National Weather Service:LOCATION                  SNOW FALL     TIME/DATE                           (INCHES)   OF OBSERVATION    LAT    LONSOUTH DAKOTA…BROWN COUNTY…  COLUMBIA                    11.1 M  COLUMBIA 8NE                 9.5 M  HECLA                        7.0 M   703 AM 03/21   45.88N  98.15W  WESTPORT                    10.0 M   703 AM 03/21   45.65N  98.50W…CLARK…  BRADLEY                      4.0 M   955 AM 03/21   45.09N  97.64W…DAY COUNTY…  WEBSTER                     10.0 M   424 AM 03/21   45.34N  97.52W  4 SW ROSLYN                 14.0 M   744 AM 03/21   45.46N  97.55W  PICKEREL LAKE STATE PAR     18.0 M   851 AM 03/21   45.50N  97.28W…DEUEL  CLEAR LAKE                   3.0 M…EDMUNDS COUNTY…  11 E HOSMER                  7.0 M   851 AM 03/21   45.58N  99.25W…GRANT COUNTY  5 NW MILBANK                12.0 M   955 AM 03/21   45.27N  96.85W…FAULK COUNTY…  5 NW CHELSEA                 7.0 M   715 AM 03/21   45.22N  98.81W  BRENTWOOD COLONY             6.0 M…MARSHALL COUNTY…  ROY LAKE STATE PARK         16.0 M   744 AM 03/21   45.71N  97.43W…ROBERTS COUNTY…  SISSETON                    12.4 M   703 AM 03/21   45.66N  97.05W  VICTOR                       8.0 M  WILMOT                      16.0 M   851 AM 03/21   45.41N  96.86W  SISSETON 3W                 12.6 M…TRAVERSE…  WHEATON                     12.0 M  1 N DUMONT                  10.0 MThanks so much for all of your pictures and reports from this morning!Tony

It’s a very snowy morning in northeast KELOLAND.  We’ve had several reports of heavy snow from the overnight and here are just a few of them.0703 AM     HEAVY SNOW       SISSETON                45.66N 97.05W   03/21/2008  M12.4 INCH       ROBERTS            SD   CO-OP OBSERVER     0703 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WESTPORT                45.65N 98.50W   03/21/2008  M10.0 INCH       BROWN              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER  0620 PM     HEAVY SNOW       EUREKA                  45.77N 99.62W   03/20/2008  E4.0 INCH        MCPHERSON          SD   PUBLIC             0730 PM     HEAVY SNOW       LONG LAKE               45.86N 99.21W   03/20/2008  E3.0 INCH        MCPHERSON          SD   PUBLIC             0840 PM     HEAVY SNOW       LEOLA                   45.72N 98.94W   03/20/2008  E7.5 INCH        MCPHERSON          SD   PUBLIC             0920 PM     HEAVY SNOW       POLLOCK                 45.90N 100.29W  03/20/2008  M6.0 INCH        CAMPBELL           SD   CO-OP OBSERVER           0620AM      HEAVY SNOW       ABERDEEN                45.47N 98.48W   03/20/2008  M9.5 INCH        BROWN              SD   NWS EMPLOYEE       1210 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 S MCLAUGHLIN          45.74N 100.81W  03/21/2008  M3.0 INCH        CORSON             SD   BROADCAST MEDIA                KLND   0315 AM     HEAVY SNOW       COLUMBIA                45.61N 98.31W   03/21/2008  M11.1 INCH       BROWN              SD   NWS EMPLOYEE            0424 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WEBSTER                 45.34N 97.52W   03/21/2008  M10.0 INCH       DAY                SD   LAW ENFORCEMENT   Also from our viewers…"11 inches near Twin Brooks""I live outside of Florence SD and just measured the snow depth at 7 inch.""On Big Stone Lake…..We have 13 inches on snow and snow is still falling."Watertown reports a couple of inches with ice.And thanks for the pictures!!This one is from the Wilmot area early this morning…about 10-12" there.Here is another from Summit with a report of 10"Thanks to Brad from Aberdeen who sent in this picture…lots of snow to clear from the cars!This is one from Big Stone City…we have local reports of up to 13" there!And here’s one from Sisseton…about 12" there.  Gunner is having fun in the snow!Feel free to add your snowfall total in the comments section below.

Another round of March weather currently is moving through, with north central and northeast KELOLAND seeing the bulk of the precipitation.  These areas have snow advisories and winter storm warnings in effect for this evening through Friday morning.  Some areas will receive 4-8” in northeast KELOLAND, but since there’s a fine line between the rain and snow, so expect a drastic cut-off of snow.  I expect far less to the south and west, but these areas can still pick up 2 to maybe 4”. 
 
Don’t get discouraged is you’re looking for warmer weather, this is well needed moisture!  The drought monitor is showing north central and northeast KELOLAND are getting dry, so any moisture in ANY form will be beneficial.
 
Sorry western South Dakota, but you’ll have to wait for your moisture…possibly late next week.
 
As today’s storm system moves through, scattered rain showers will be possible in the southeast, central, and west, but amounts will stay light.
 
Easter weekend is looking cool.  Highs will remain well below average with numbers only in the 30s and 40s, with slight chances at light rain or light snow.

We’re still left with periods of drizzle, light snow, and fog in eastern KELOLAND this afternoon, but it looks like the majority of the snow is over.
 
As the storm system continues to move east, rain (heavy at times) will continue from Kansas to central Illinois.  This area of rain will rob A LOT of our moisture for anything that develops in eastern KELOLAND later tonight.  But I do expect to see on and off light rain and light snow this evening and overnight for the east and southeast. 
 
 
As far as additional amounts of snow…I wouldn’t be surprised for an additional inch or two on top of the 3-6” of what already fell from last night and this morning.  This will bring the snow totals within the 4-8” range for southeast South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.
 
Western, central, and north central KELOLAND have been sunny this afternoon.  That sunshine will move east for tomorrow afternoon, but temperatures will remain below average in eastern KELOLAND with afternoon highs in the 30s.  Above average air will move into central and western South Dakota with highs in the 40s to near 50.
 
Looking ahead…there’s another round of snow by the end of the workweek, but this one doesn’t look as impressive as the one we are currently going through!