• Nearly the entire state of South Dakota was under a blizzard warning, but a storm cell developed in the Brookings area and radar indicated a possible tornado north of Brookings. Canby, Minn., Superintendent Laura Schuster had reported a tornado had touched the ground eight miles north of Canby.
• Governor Dennis Daugaard had shut down many state offices in central and western South Dakota due to the blizzard with no travel advised in those areas.
• When the storm hit the Groton area around 3:30 p.m., visibility quickly dropped to near zero with blowing snow. The storm went through the area quickly, leaving the city with only 3.5 inches of snow. Many areas out west had up to a foot of snow and areas east of Groton also reported more snow.
• The wind went down through the night and the stars were shining this morning, but the roads remained in bad driving condition as even the Aberdeen American News did not get their papers out to Groton this morning, this first time this winter season.