We haven't gotten any snow (yet) but we've had almost three inches of rain today. Forecast calls for lows in the 20's tonight, maybe 2 inches of snow in the morning. Don't think we'll be digging shrubs at work tomorrow.

Apr 22, 2001

Spring Snowstorm Hits South Dakota, Wyoming

The Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A powerful spring storm pummeled South Dakota and Wyoming with more than a foot of snow Sunday, shutting down interstate highways and causing car accidents and scattered power outages.

More than 20 inches of snow fell in Rapid City, officials said. That broke the 1902 record of 4.5 inches for that date, according to the National Weather Service. It also broke the record snowfall amount in the city for all of April. That mark - 15.6 inches - was set April 18, 1970.

Other parts of the Black Hills and southwestern South Dakota got up to 18 inches of snow.

Several cars slid into ditches along Interstate 90 in the western part of the state, but the Highway Patrol said there were no serious injuries.

Meanwhile, thunderstorms slammed into southeastern South Dakota as the storm moved east.

Lightning struck the steeple of a church in Sioux Falls, scattering chunks of stone on cars around the building as services were letting out Sunday morning.

About 25 people were outside the East Side Lutheran Church when the bolt hit, sending chunks of stone up to a block away. Windows on some cars were smashed, and debris was scattered on the churchyard. No one was seriously injured.

"I turned around real quick just in time to see the belfry collapsing right by our front door," parishioner Dwight Wood said.

A flood warning was issued for the Vermillion River in southeastern South Dakota because of heavy rain. A flood warning also remained in effect on the Big Sioux River, which has been swollen by snow melt runoff and previous rains.

The storm dumped up to 16 inches of snow in southern Wyoming, forcing the closing of nearly all of Interstate 80.

About 240 miles of the interstate from Cheyenne to Rock Springs shut down in phases following numerous slideoffs and a few crashes, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Duane Aaron, 27, of Lubbock, Texas, one of many stranded truck drivers in Cheyenne, said he and his wife slept in their rig in the parking lot of a hotel. The interstate closure sent dozens of rigs into the parking lot by late morning Sunday.

"I've heard about different trucks getting blown off the road, just over the CB," Aaron said. "We got lucky and got pulled over before we got far enough to see any trouble."

Pacific Power reported scattered outages as wet, heavy snow piled up on power lines. "We don't have any main widespread outages going on in Wyoming right now but I would say we have dozens of calls to follow up on," said Dave Eskelsen, Pacific Power spokesman.

The weather service had a winter storm warning in effect for Sunday night in central and southwest South Dakota and a snow advisory for north central South Dakota. The warning extended into Monday morning in the northeast. As much as a foot of snow was expected.

Forecasters predicted winds of 25 to 40 miles per hour and two to three more inches of snow in southeastern Wyoming.

AP-ES-04-22-01 2134EDT

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Answers

Sam

Just saw the weather channel. I hear that our old stomping grounds got 20". I will send you a picture later from our trip to Rincon to help lift your spirits. Hope all is well. Here in western PA we will have July tomorrow and by the end of the week winter is suppose to return again. Take Care.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

It's bloody 86 degrees here in central NC. Far too hot. Be grateful!

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

There's a beautiful curving line of storms from Texas all the way to the Canadian border here. Click on your area for a close-up look.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001