The saying is, "In like a lion, out like a lamb," and that remained true for last week's weather when, on Tuesday, March 3, winds gusted to over 50 mph with sustained winds over 30 mph. The highest recorded wind gust was 54 mph at 7:54 p.m. on Tuesday.
Very little tree damage was reported, but one incidence of roof damage was found. Mike and Yvette Jacobson lost part of their roof (see photo), but thankfully were not injured.
While March can get gusty, it was April 2022 that was the windiest month ever recorded in Sioux Falls.
Near 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Garretson lost power for approximately an hour and a half. Initial reports from Xcel Energy had estimated a 2-hour or longer outage.
The temperature had dropped throughout the day, with its high of 47 degrees measured at 1:56 a.m.
Much needed precipitation came down on Tuesday and Thursday last week. While Garretson didn't get as much snow as places to the south or east, earlier warmth made for a heavy, wet snow. Since January, the area has only recorded .78" of precipitation and very little to no snowpack. Seventy-two percent of South Dakota is currently at a moderate drought level, according to the National Weather Service, and the rest of the state is in a severe to extreme drought.
Temperatures are higher than normal and are all over the place, as Monday recorded a high of 71 and dropped back down into the 20's overnight, then recorded a high in the mid-40's on Tuesday. Mid-week temps were on the rise again with mid-to-high 60's yesterday and today (Thursday), but another system is predicted for Friday and Saturday that could bring both rain and snow. Next week's temps should be more like normal in the 30's, 40's, and even mid-50's.
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