A complex storm impacted the Northern Plains in the days leading up to and through the Christmas holiday with widespread precipitation, wind, and hazardous conditions. The storm began as rain during the afternoon and evening of December 23, briefly pausing before a second round of rainfall surged northward early on December 24, with temperatures cold enough for snowfall from the James River westward.
Cooler temperatures near the surface by early Christmas Day caused a widespread transition to freezing rain with light ice accumulation for areas east of the James River.  Farther west, very strong winds gusted to 40 to 55 mph on Christmas Day with heavy snow developing west of the James River Valley, which totaled from 5 to 15 inches. Snow rates diminished, as well as the wind by later Christmas Day.
Travel was not recommended in areas west of the James River, and Interstate 90 was closed west of Mitchell from later afternoon on Christmas Day until mid-morning on December 26.  Power outages were sporadic and impacted several hundred customers generally along the I-29 corridor due to ice accumulation and strong wind on Christmas morning.
Several long-term NWS Cooperative Observer locations in southeast South Dakota recorded the highest 3-day precipitation total on record for December including:
White Lake  2.39
Chamberlain 5S  2.31
Academy 2NE  2.15
De Smet  1.95
Alexandria  1.89
Flandreau  1.80
Colton  1.79
Sioux Falls  1.76
Menno  1.71
Brookings  1.68
Howard  1.61.

Blizzard in BRULE, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 12:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: AWOS

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 50 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System at Kimball and 43 mph at the Automated Weather Observing System site K9V9 at Chamberlain,  led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 10.2 inches 5 miles south of Chamberlain and 7.7 inches at Chamberlain.

Blizzard in CHARLES MIX, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 10:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 50 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site 13 miles west of Platte and 42 mph near Wagner, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 11.4 inches near Academy and 7.3 inches at Platte.

Winter Weather in MCCOOK, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed early on Christmas Day, but changed quickly to snow through the later morning and early afternoon before changing over to light freezing drizzle late afternoon and into Christmas night.  Snow and sleet accumulated to 2.0 inches at Montrose, 5 miles northeast of Salem, and 7 miles north of Parker. Visibility dropped at times to one-half mile as winds gusted to 30 to 40 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System sites near Dolton and Montrose.

Blizzard in DOUGLAS, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 10:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 46 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Corsica and 36 mph at a personal weather station in Armour, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 4.5 inches 7 miles west-southwest of Parkston and 4.0 inches 10 miles west of Dimock.

Winter Weather in MOODY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 07:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

A period of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed early on Christmas Day, leading to a brief ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch which brought down several smaller branches around Flandreau. Precipitation changed to rain and drizzle during the afternoon, but falling temperatures at night led to some additional freezing drizzle late on Christmas night. Snow and sleet accumulated to a little less than an inch at Flandreau.

Blizzard in AURORA, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 11:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 56 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System near Plankinton and 43 mph at the South Dakota State University Mesonet site near White Lake, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 9.0 inches 4 miles southwest of Stickney and 7.1 inches at White Lake.

Winter Weather in LAKE, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 07:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of sleet, freezing rain, and snow developed early on Christmas Day and lingered into early afternoon before changing over to light drizzle and light freezing drizzle late afternoon and into Christmas night.  Snow and sleet accumulated to 0.5 inch at Madison, with less than a tenth of an inch ice accumulation. Visibility dropped briefly to around one mile as winds gusted as high as 25 mph at personal weather stations in Wentworth and Winfred.

Blizzard in JERAULD, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 11:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Department of Highways

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 47 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System near Lane and 43 mph at the Automated Weather Observing System site K4X4 near Wessington Springs, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 6.0 inches at Wessington Springs.

Winter Weather in BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 08:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

A period of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed midday on Christmas, leading to a brief ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch.  The ice downed a large branch and blocked traffic for a short time north of Aurora.  Snow and sleet accumulated to a little less than an inch around Brookings and Astoria.

Blizzard in DAVISON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 10:30:00 to 25-DEC-23 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: ASOS

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 41 mph at the Automated Surface Observing System site KMHE at Mitchell led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 5.2 inches at Mitchell.

Winter Weather in MINER, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 08:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of sleet, freezing rain, and snow developed early on Christmas Day and lingered into early afternoon before changing over to light drizzle and light freezing drizzle late afternoon and into Christmas night. Snow and sleet accumulated to 1.0 inch at Howard, with less than a tenth of an inch ice accumulation. Visibility dropped briefly to around one mile as winds gusted as high as 37 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Howard.

Blizzard in HUTCHINSON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 09:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 14:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Mesonet

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 45 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System near Tripp and 37 mph at the South Dakota State University Mesonet site at Parkston, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 5.5 inches at Parkston and 5.0 inches at Menno.

Winter Weather in UNION, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed early on Christmas Day, leading to a brief ice accumulation less than a tenth of an inch. Precipitation changed to rain and drizzle briefly during the afternoon, but falling temperatures at night led to some additional freezing drizzle later into Christmas night. Snow and sleet accumulation was minimal.

Blizzard in BON HOMME, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 09:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 14:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 42 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System near Tyndall and 38 mph at a personal weather station in Scotland, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 6.0 inches at Tyndall and 8 miles west-northwest of Springfield.

Winter Weather in TURNER, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed early on Christmas Day, but changed quickly to snow through the later morning and early afternoon before changing over to light freezing drizzle Christmas night.  Snow and sleet accumulated to 3.5 inches at Marion. Visibility dropped at times to one-half mile as winds gusted to 30 to 36 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Parker.

Winter Storm in YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 05:30:00 to 26-DEC-23 00:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall started just prior to daybreak and continued into early Christmas evening before mixing with and changing to a light freezing rain.  Snow was heavy at times between 0800 and 1000 CST with visibility briefly as low as 1/4 mile as winds gusted occasionally from 30 to 35 mph at Automated Weather Observing System site KYKN at Yankton and the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Gayville.  Snow accumulated to 7.0 inches at Yankton. Freezing rain resulted in less than one tenth of an inch of icing on elevated surfaces on Christmas evening.

Winter Storm in BEADLE, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 08:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall developed early Christmas morning and was briefly heavy between 1000-1300CST, with brief visibility from one-quarter to one-half mile while winds gusted as high as 45 mph at the Automated Surface Observing System site KHON in Huron and the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Wolsey, and 40 mph near Cavour.  Snow decreased in intensity during the afternoon, then mixed with or changed to drizzle or freezing drizzle by very late afternoon and early Christmas evening. Snow accumulated to 11.0 inches near Wessington and 6.5 inches at Huron.

Winter Storm in CLAY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 05:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 00:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall started just prior to daybreak and continued into early Christmas evening before mixing with and changing to a light freezing rain.  Snow was heavy at times between 0700 and 0900 CST with visibility briefly as low as 1/4 mile as winds gusted occasionally from 30 to 35 mph at the South Dakota State University Mesonet site 7 miles west-southwest of Beresford. Snow accumulated to 6.0 inches in Vermillion. Freezing rain resulted in less than one tenth of an inch of icing on elevated surfaces on Christmas evening.

Blizzard in GREGORY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 12:00:00 to 25-DEC-23 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow along with winds which gusted as high as 50 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System sites near Pickstown and Dallas and 49 mph near Dixon, led to persistent visibility of a quarter mile or less.  Snow accumulated to 14.8 inches at Gregory, 12.0 inches at Burke, and 10.0 inches 4 miles south-southwest of Pickstown.

Winter Weather in HANSON, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snow developed early on Christmas Day, before changing over to light freezing drizzle late Christmas afternoon and night.  Snow accumulated to 4.0 inches at Alexandria. Visibility dropped briefly to one-half mile from 0800-1200CST as winds gusted as high as 39 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Alexandria.

Winter Weather in KINGSBURY, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 08:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of snow developed early on Christmas Day and lingered into early afternoon before changing over to light drizzle and light freezing drizzle late afternoon and into Christmas night.  Snow and sleet accumulated to 1.3 inches at De Smet, with only a glaze of ice accumulation. Visibility dropped briefly to around one mile as winds gusted as high as 37 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Arlington.

Winter Weather in SANBORN, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snow developed early on Christmas Day, before changing over to light freezing drizzle late Christmas afternoon and night.  Snow accumulated to 5.2 inches at Woonsocket and 4.9 inches 4 miles north-northeast of Forestburg. Visibility dropped briefly at times to one-half mile or less from 0700-1200CST as winds gusted as high as 42 mph at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Forestburg and 39 mph at the South Dakota State University Mesonet site near Letcher.

Winter Weather in MINNEHAHA, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

A period of mixed freezing rain and sleet developed early on Christmas Day, leading to a brief ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch which brought down several smaller branches around Sioux Falls.  Precipitation changed to rain and drizzle during the afternoon, but falling temperatures at night led to some additional freezing drizzle later into Christmas night. Snow and sleet accumulated to around an inch at Sioux Falls and Hartford, and up to 2.9 inches at Colton.

Winter Weather in LINCOLN, SOUTH DAKOTA
From 25-DEC-23 06:00:00 to 26-DEC-23 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: COOP Observer

A period of mixed freezing rain and sleet developed early on Christmas Day, leading to a brief ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch which brought down several smaller branches around Sioux Falls.  Precipitation changed to rain and drizzle during the afternoon, but falling temperatures at night led to some additional freezing drizzle later into Christmas night. Snow and sleet accumulated to around an inch at Sioux Falls and 0.7 inch at Canton.