State says many flooded southeast SD highways are closed

A flooded road in Minnehaha County in the early morning hours of June 21, 2024. (Courtesy of Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office)

Many highways in southeast South Dakota are closed because of flooding, the state Department of Transportation said this morning.

Some routes impacted by flooding are open with the use of flaggers guiding motorists through sections of saturated roadway.

The National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls forecasts periods of rain and thunderstorms continuing into Saturday, with areas of heavy rain likely tonight. By this morning, some areas already had 24-hour rainfall totals above 5 inches. An additional 2 to 4 or more inches of rain in some areas is likely to bring further flash flooding, as well as additional rises on area rivers and creeks, the Weather Service said.

In Sioux Falls, eight parks and some sections of recreational trails were closed as of this morning due to flash flooding, with an updated list of closures available on siouxfalls.gov.

Motorists in southeast South Dakota can expect additional road closures to be put in place if conditions continue to worsen, according to the state Department of Transportation. The department asks drivers to respect all road closures and not drive around barricades. Driving into flooded areas can lead to potentially dangerous or life-threatening situations, the department said.

Visit https://sd511.org or download the SD511 mobile app to view all current road closures and highway obstructions.

The post State says many flooded southeast SD highways are closed appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.