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Strong Snow Storm Blasts Black Hills

Heavy wet snow is falling across the Black Hills.

Parts of Western South Dakota are waking up to heavy snow and wind today. Areas outside of Lead are already reporting close to two feet of snow. No travel is advised in many areas of the Black Hills - Interstate 90 is currently closed between Sturgis and the Wyoming border.
 

Matthew Bunkers is the Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service in Rapid City. He says the storm is intensifying.

“We’re already getting reports of branches down, power out in places in the hills. West of Spearfish about eight miles they’ve had about eleven inches of snow. There’s been a fair amount of thunder and lightning with this system because it is so intense and it will continue to be strong all day long. The north winds are also beginning to increase as we speak and that’ll just make things much worse especially in the open areas - but there’s going to be a lot of snow with this,” says Bunkers.
 

Bunkers says the thunder and lightning accompanying the snowfall are a result of an abundance of moisture in the air. Many area schools, businesses and city offices are closed today due to the storm. The winter weather is expected to continue through tonight.

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