SIOUX FALLS - As officials began reopening the main east-west highway in South Dakota, they closed a portion of the main north-south artery as a blizzard continued marching east through the state.

By the middle of the day, the state Department of Public Safety had reopened Interstate 90 from the Wyoming border to Wall. But the route remained closed from Wall to Mitchell.

The department reported that the main truck stop at Mitchell was full, along with the I-90 rest area near Salem. Officials recommended that westbound truckers pull off the road at Sioux Falls.

Meanwhile, Interstate 29 from Brookings to Sisseton was declared off limits to travel as heavy snow and high winds moved into the area.

No-travel advisories were in effect for much of South Dakota.

Snowfall amounts Tuesday morning included 15 inches at Whitewood in the Black Hills, 8-10 inches at Chamberlain with drifts of nearly 4 feet, 8-10 inches at Wessington Springs and 8 inches at Sisseton in the northeast.

A blizzard warning was se to expire early Tuesday afternoon for north central South Dakota, in an area from Eureka to Fort Thompson. But the warning was to remain in effect until early Wednesday for the Aberdeen, Watertown, Sisseton and Milbank areas, where 8 inches to 15 inches of snow was predicted for the already soggy James River valley.

Locally higher snowfall amounts were entirely possible, the National Weather Service said.

The storm was winding down in the west. Rapid City reported clear skies Tuesday morning, while it was partly cloudy in Pine Ridge. Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings for the west expired by midday.

The heavy snow and high winds closed schools and state offices and made travel difficult from one end of the state to the other.