Temperatures are expected to rise following the storm, which concluded Tuesday after dropping a total of 9.6 inches of snow in Mitchell as of 6 p.m., according the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
NWS Meteorologist Brad Temeyer said there is not much frigid air coming behind this system. High temperatures could range from 31 with plenty of sun today to 40 degrees on Friday and Saturday, and that could continue into next week.
Even with temperatures rising, there is little danger of flooding, Temeyer said. Because there have been few nights thus far in which temperatures dropped below freezing, there is no frost in the ground, which Temeyer said is relatively rare for this time of year and could prove beneficial for agriculture.
“Instead of runoff, it goes into the ground and replenishes surface-level moisture,” Temeyer said.
The meltdown could also help pull the state out of drought conditions, as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map showed about one-fourth of South Dakota as being abnormally dry before the storm.
“A lot of places have been dry this fall, and a snow like this is definitely beneficial heading into the winter,” said Matthew Dux, another NWS meteorologist in Sioux Falls.
Before ending late Tuesday, the storm broke records around the region. By the end of the day Monday, Mitchell was hit with 7.2 inches of snow, just passing the Nov. 30 record of 7 inches in 1991.
Calendar date records were also broken in Sioux Falls, which received 8.7 inches -- topping 7.6 in 1954 -- and Sioux City, Iowa, which received 6.6 inches -- topping 5.3 inches in 1981.
The system was dropping heavy, wet snow that is more typical of a spring snowfall than an early winter event, Dux said.
“It’s been responsible not only for the heavy snows up here in the northern Plains, but also for torrential heavy rains in the lower Missouri River Valley and into the Tennessee River Valley,” Dux said.
The snow didn’t appear to cause much damage on roadways Tuesday. Tony Mangan, public information officer for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, said there were some weather-related crashes around the state, but there were no injuries reported.
Sheriff’s offices around the region said there were no crashes reported, and Mitchell police responded to only one crash in town Tuesday, which occurred in a parking lot.
The snow had a bigger impact on schools. Students, who were excused at 1:45 p.m. Monday, did not return to school Tuesday as Mitchell School District schools, Mitchell Christian, John Paul II Elementary and Mitchell Technical Institute remained closed for the second day.
There are signs of another system developing in the western half of the United States. Like other storm systems, it tends to take a southerly route, but if it makes its way north, it could reach South Dakota on Dec. 10 or 11, Temeyer said.
Temeyer said the Climate Prediction Center is calling for above-average temperatures across much of the country, including South Dakota, throughout the winter months. Nebraska is expected to get above average amounts of precipitation, and North Dakota is expected to get below average, so it is difficult to predict what will be seen in South Dakota in the near future.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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