Sioux Falls under a blizzard warning starting Thursday night

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sioux Falls is under a blizzard warning for Thursday night and most of Friday. The National Weather Service said high winds and a mix of rain and snow will combine for difficult conditions.

The area is under a high wind advisory during the day Thursday, with wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour possible.

Only a couple of inches of snow are expected Thursday night, but heavy winds will make for dangerous conditions.

“Once we get that combination of snow and pretty hefty winds, we’re talking in excess of 50 mph wind gusts,” NWS forecaster Amy Parkin said, “that alone is going to result in some pretty nasty visibility reductions and the potential for some hazardous travel conditions.”

The conditions are expected to persist through the day on Friday, with the warning endin at 6 p.m.

The full report from the NWS is below:

BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY…

* WHAT…Blizzard conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph.

* WHERE…Portions of east central and southeast South Dakota, northeast Nebraska, northwest and west central Iowa and southwest Minnesota.

* WHEN…From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM CST Friday.

* IMPACTS…Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions…making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must travel…have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded…stay with your vehicle. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning and evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

(Mike Tanner, KWAT, contributed to this report.)