More than 5,000 still without power in Sioux Falls area Wednesday morning after Tuesday's derecho
Thousands are still without power as of Wednesday morning, following a destructive storm system that moved through the southeastern part of the state Tuesday afternoon.
An estimated 5,200 were without power as of 8:30 a.m., according to Xcel Energy's power outage map. Of those, more than 5,100 were in the Sioux Falls area.
That's down from the nearly 30,000 who were without power between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday, following a derecho. By 10p.m., that number had dropped to roughly 7,000.
A derecho is "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms," according to the service's website.
"By definition, if the wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles and includes wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 km/h) or greater along most of its length, then the event may be classified as a derecho," the NWS website states.
More: NWS confirms derecho swept through southeastern South Dakota with winds up to 99 mph
Crews are assessing damages throughout the city, with several areas expected to be restored by 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to the company's outage map.
Another round of storms is expected later this afternoon for the Sioux Falls area, but most of the risk will remain south, toward Sioux City, Iowa, according to the National Weather Service of Sioux Falls as of Wednesday morning.
Any thunderstorms that develop today and tonight will bring an increased risk for locally heavy rainfall. The greater risk will reside from Sioux City southward. pic.twitter.com/mz0K6tTY5S
— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) July 6, 2022
Sioux Falls' weather forecast
Here's a closer look at what's expected through the next few days, according to the NWS:
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Wednesday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 86. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Xcel outage map shows 5,100 in Sioux Falls area without power
