Yankton Weather (appointed, home, tornadoes)

[tbbeltran]

Hi,

My family and I are considering a move to Yankton from Northwestern Wisconsin. Could you tell me what the weather is like in Yankton, and what the winter driving is like?

Thank you!

[sholomar]

if you stay on paved roads that are better traveled winter driving should be fine... no different then in northern wisconsin... better because there is less snow. No trees so the wind will play more a factor.. it will blow snow off certain roads and make big drifts on others. You just have to learn which roads drift and which don't as you go.

Overall temps are going to be warmer probably most of the time in the spring, summer, and fall.. though on occasion it will get warmer in Northern WI , especially in the spring, due to the way the jet stream brings warm air up into WI. It won't be a huge difference from what you have now when you average it all out, especially winter temps. Spring, summer, and fall temps should be warmer. You'll make the transition just fine... the weather is very similar.

One major difference is around the Yankton area, the thunderstorms start to get quite a bit more powerful then say areas to the north like where I am. I'd consider that a good thing because I like to watch them and get disappointed here. (Moody County, SD) Needless to say if you like to watch severe storms, they get quite ripe down there and you can see them from very far away. You're kind of on the border there... the supercells really like to fire getting into Nebraska. Statistically, you'll see many more tornadoes there then you will in Northern WI for sure, but I wouldn't worry about that too much unless you plan to live in a few of those bullseye counties down in east central Nebraska.

http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/nebraska-tornadoes-1950-2004final.jpg (broken link)

[MovingOnward70]

I lived in Yankton for a couple of years. Winters are cold, but not as bad as northwestern Wisconsin. I lived in Duluth for a few years and visited Northwestern Wisconsin often. Though, when they are, they are really bad and can knock out power. The snowfall can be enough to trap you on your street, though it isn't the snow fall that is so bad, as the lack of snow removal services. Yankton doesn't know the first thing about proper snow removal and it shows after every snowfall. They don't plow until late afternoon the next day AFTER the snow stops falling. We had 10 inches of snow one day that trapped my 4x4 a mile from home and I had to walk. The snow had begun falling that am and no plowing was done. The road was completely closed off with snow. Had a neighbor not shown up with a bull dozer to clear the road, no one would have gone anywhere. The small plow didn't show up until 3:30 pm the next day. The windy days are brutal and makes you feel sorry for the trees.
A few words of advice: if you have to drive in the snow fall, stay on the freeway and main streets. Most importantly, try not to get stuck in the snow. You will be stuck there a minimum of 24 hours.
Wish you well in your move there. Yankton is a decent little city and despite high property taxes, the taxes are lower than what you paid in Wisconsin.

[windtimber]

It's not that different from NW Wisconsin - maybe less snow from time to time and a lot more wind. But it's winter like you're used to from NW Wis.

[sdyankton]

It can get INSANELY hot in the summer and rediculously cold in the winter...that is true....but in reality, it is really only about a 5 week period for each. It's easy to complain about the negative, but there are so many more days, weeks, and months, where the sun is shining and the breeze is cool.
Yankton weather shouldn't be a deciding factor whether or not to move here. I have lived in several places and the weather is the same throughout the midwest.
In the summer time, if you like to camp, there are few things more pleasant than sitting by the fire at the lake and feeling the cool breeze coming off the water in JULY!
Except for a few short weeks, the weather here is really not too bad.

Also...In the 14 years I have lived here in Yankton, they have done a great job of plowing the roads after a snowstorm. Just make sure your car is off the street. They start to plow as early as 4am and have the roads clear by the time you leave for work.