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Snowiest Year In South Dakota?

Preliminary calculations by climatologists show that 2013 is now in the running for the snowiest year on record in Rapid City. Although numbers are still being tallied, when combined with all the snow from last winter and this October storm, it adds up to just over 85 inches. The record is around 80 inches. Meanwhile, the Black Hills is seeing some higher than normal water in the creeks and rivers in the wake of the blizzard that hit the region over the weekend. Experts say catastrophic flooding is not likely–but area waterways  are running very strong  sometimes at even higher flows than seen in the spring. Officials in Pennington country are warning that the creek in Rapid City is about to see a significant increase in flow.  South Dakota State University Extension Climate Field Specialist Laura Edwards and National Weather Service hydrologist Melissa Smith discussed the possibility of the year 2013 becoming the snowiest year on record.