No matter how hot the atmosphere was at the Presidential Election on Tuesday, winter is starting to settle in throughout certain areas of the United States. South Dakota was one of the first states hit by a snow storm this year.

The Black Hills turned white yesterday, when a blizzard cause a snowfall which neared 4 feet at one point, and was also behind the 50 mph winds you might have experienced if you were unlucky enough to venture west through South Dakota.

South Dakota’s state officials have warned travelers against crossing their state in order to reach the Western part of the United States. So far, motorists have been stranded across the state, and it is worrisome that their exact number is still unclear. Also, power outages were more than common these last few days in South Dakota, as power lines gave in quite quickly to the massive howling storms.

Even Governor Mike Rounds took the time to hold a telephone conference on Thursday, confirming the peril presented by the storm. The Governor insisted that South Dakota, especially its Western part, is currently “under a no-travel advisory”. To reinforce the warnings, state officials also closed down a big part of Interstate 90, were many vehicles were already trapped.

The trapped travelers cannot yet be rescued, as the rescue teams cannot begin a search and rescue mission if the visibility is zero. The situation is dire, as the Highway Patrol stated that they had received over 400 distress calls, out of which 10 were crash reports.

Many attractions, such as the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, dozens of institutions, such as schools and agencies, and even some businesses decided to “close shop” because of the storm.