A strong area of low pressure moving across South Dakota and into Minnesota brought widespread rain, freezing rain, and snow to central, north central, and northeast South Dakota. Much of the freezing rain fell across central and north central South Dakota west of the Missouri River. As the freezing rain changed over to snow and the winds increased, the ice and snow buildup on the power lines and poles caused hundreds of power poles to break across Jones, Stanley, Dewey, and Corson counties. East of the Missouri River, the colder air and stronger winds moved in changing the rain over to snow. Strong winds of 30 to 45 mph with gusts near 60 mph brought widespread blizzard conditions to all of the area.
Ice buildup from the freezing rain ranged from a tenth to as much as an inch for counties west of the Missouri River. Snowfall amounts across the entire area generally ranged from 2 to 8 inches with a 15 inch amount recorded in southwest Corson County.  Some of the snowfall amounts included: 3 inches at Eagle Butte, Blunt, Kennebec, Mission Ridge, and Onida; 4 inches at Pollock, Gettysburg, and Bowdle; 5 inches south of Harrold, Iona, and near McIntosh; 6 inches at Mobridge; 7 inches at Murdo; 8 inches at McLaughlin, and 15 inches southwest of Keldron.
All 4,600 customers of the Moreau-Grand Electric company lost power due to the storm. The last time this occurred was during the winter of 1967-68. The monetary loss to this cooperative and other electric cooperatives for Jones, Stanley, Corson, and Dewey counties was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There were over 100 line workers working countless hours with crews coming from as far away as Nebraska and Iowa to assist in the power recovery. Over 1,000 customers were without power for an extended period of time.  Cell phone coverage was also knocked out for parts of the West River area due to downed towers.
The blizzard resulted in numerous school, business, and road closures along with flight cancellations. Interstate-90 was shut down from Mitchell, South Dakota to the Wyoming border from Thursday the 6th until Friday evening of the 7th. Many semi trucks and cars were stranded along the Interstate with many people being rescued. Many travelers took shelter in Murdo, Chamberlain, and Pierre until the Interstate reopened Friday evening. There were also several accidents across the area with a serious accident in Walworth county on Highway 83 near the Potter county line.  In the early afternoon hours of Friday the 7th, slippery roads, high winds, and low visibilities contributed to the rollover of a passenger van carrying seven students. The passenger van rolled several times causing serious injuries to three of the students. Also, a semi truck rolled over on an icy and snowy Highway 45 south of Miller in the late afternoon hours of the 6th. The driver received minor injuries. The Governor declared a state of emergency on the 7th, and President Bush declared South Dakota a disaster area.

Blizzard in CORSON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 05-NOV-08 23:30:00 to 07-NOV-08 09:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Blizzard in DEWEY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 05-NOV-08 23:30:00 to 07-NOV-08 09:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in STANLEY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 00:15:00 to 07-NOV-08 13:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in JONES, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 00:15:00 to 07-NOV-08 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in CAMPBELL, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 01:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 11:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in WALWORTH, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 01:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 13:30:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

At around 1 pm on November 7th, a passenger van carrying seven students on Highway 83 lost control and flipped several times. Three of the students were seriously injured. Strong winds, lowered visibilities, and slippery roads contributed to the accident.

Blizzard in POTTER, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 01:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 13:30:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in SULLY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 02:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 14:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Blizzard in HUGHES, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 03:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 14:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in LYMAN, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 02:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in MCPHERSON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 06:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Blizzard in EDMUNDS, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 06:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in FAULK, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 08:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in HYDE, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 05:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Blizzard in HAND, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 06:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in BUFFALO, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 05:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in BROWN, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 15:40:00 to 07-NOV-08 19:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Blizzard in SPINK, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 16:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 19:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Blizzard in MARSHALL, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 16:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Blizzard in DAY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 16:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Public

Blizzard in CLARK, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 06-NOV-08 16:00:00 to 07-NOV-08 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue