Country Herald is Local News, Independent Pulse. Covering breaking local news, sports, lifestyle and events.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota – As Arctic air tightens its grip across the Northern Plains through late January and into early February, South Dakota is facing a stretch of cold that becomes dangerous quickly, not just because of low temperatures, but because of relentless wind. Gusts sweeping across the open Plains are accelerating heat loss at an alarming rate, driving extreme wind chill conditions statewide.
According to the National Weather Service, wind chill measures how fast exposed skin loses heat when wind strips away the thin insulating layer of warmth produced by the body. In South Dakota, where winter cold is rarely calm, that process happens rapidly, turning already frigid air into a serious health hazard within minutes…