South Dakota climatologist warns of January “deep freeze” on the way (Audio)

January 7, 2020

ABERDEEN, S.D.–A difficult year for farmers has come to an end, but there are still some crops remaining in the field.

Laura Edwards, South Dakota State Climatologist, says while it was a difficult year for South Dakota, it was even worse in North Dakota…..

She says with the current snowpack in the fields, farmers will likely have to wait until spring in order to finish harvesting……

The January outlook calls for much colder temperatures to move into the area soon….

Edwards there is nothing definitive on precipitation models. However, with as much moisture as the area experienced last year and the way the winter has started, Edwards said it would be wise to be prepared for flooding this spring.

Recently released data from the National Weather Service indicates 2019 was the second-wettest year in Watertown’s recorded history. 

Liquid precipitation for the year was 33.94 inches, which was 11.86 inches above normal. 

Snowfall for 2019 was 79.7 inches, or a whopping 43.8 inches above normal.