MITCHELL — It’s been a wet week of rain throughout south eastern South Dakota, and residents in the area should be prepared for another round of precipitation as the week wears on into the weekend.
That’s according to the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, which is predicting a high chance of rain through at least the middle of the weekend.
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“Around the Mitchell area there has been around an inch to an inch and a quarter of rainfall in the last three days,” Tim Masters, a technician with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, told the Mitchell Republic. “You’re looking at getting another two to three inches of rain through Saturday.”
Recent precipitation has fallen on portions of the Mitchell area, particularly to the southeast where as much as three and a half inches of rain have fallen in Hutchinson County and parts of southern McCook County. The rainfall has left standing water in recently-planted fields and made some minimum maintenance roads impassable.
Masters said the region should be on the lookout for another round of rain beginning Wednesday night, though where and when the heaviest amounts will fall are unclear.
“There will be another round of rain coming in tonight and tomorrow. Probably another inch or so,” Masters said.
The forecast calls for a chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday night and another thunderstorm possibly following after 2 a.m. Winds aren’t expected to be strong, with 5 to 10 miles per hour forecast, though the chance of rain is at 80%. Showers continue to be likely on Thursday with thunderstorms possible throughout the day. Temperatures will be relatively mild, with a high of 73 expected and east winds coming in around 10 miles per hour.
More showers and thunderstorms are also likely Thursday night, with chances of precipitation at 70%. Skies are expected to be mostly cloudy with a low around 65 degrees with east-southeast winds blowing at around 10 miles per hour.
Chances for rain drop to 50% on Friday with partly-sunny skies and a high of 87, though winds may pick up to around 15 to 20 miles per hour, gusting as high as 25 miles per hour. Chances thunderstorms return Friday night, with an 80% chance of rain. Wind gusts could reach as high as 20 miles per hour.
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Winds are expected to be stronger Friday, but Masters said chances for severe thunderstorms appear low.
“There might be some severe storms, but it’s not looking real strong,” Masters said. “It’s not a big clash of hot and cold air, just repeated thunderstorms.”
Conditions will dry out a bit come Saturday, where chances for precipitation drop to 30%, with most chances for any thunderstorms coming before 7 a.m. Saturday is expected to be mostly clear with a high near 81 degrees and a low of 61 that night.
A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms will return Monday, as will warm temperatures, with a high of 91 expected.
With recent rainfall inundating parts of the region, additional rains could cause issues in some areas. Masters noted that the Vermillion River is on the rise, and areas around it could see water over the roads in low spots. He said it’s a good time to remember to be wary of water flowing over roads and to not risk crossing roads in those places.
“Don’t cross any roads that look like they’re flooded, you can never tell how deep it is,” Masters said.
He also encouraged people to check their sump pumps to make sure they are in good working order and to keep an eye on National Weather Service forecasts and alerts, either at their website, through the National Weather Service app or via weather radio.
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