A powerful spring snowstorm that could bring up to 3 feet of snow to the upper elevations of the northern Black Hills and as much as 18 inches to the surrounding foothills began moving into the region Monday morning.

Schools were closed throughout the Northern Hills and Rapid City as mostly cold wind, accompanied by rain and sleet, moved into the region. By 10 a.m., a wet, heavy snow had begun to accumulate in Lead, Deadwood, Spearfish, Belle Fourche and other areas of the Northern Hills, but much more was expected to fall throughout the day, overnight and into Tuesday.

A Blizzard Warning was in effect for almost all of western South Dakota, with extremely strong winds - with gusts up to 65 mph - expected to accompany the heart of the storm.

In Rapid City, snow and rain showers were intermittent Monday morning, but heavier snows are expected to begin in the afternoon, with up to 4 inches expected to fall by this evening. More than 10 inches are expected to fall through the night and tomorrow morning.

The NWS' Blizzard Warning isn't set to expire until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

School closings included Rapid City public and private schools, Douglas, Newell, Belle Fourche, Spearfish, Meade, Custer, Hermosa, Hot Springs and Lead-Deadwood schools. Black Hills State University in Spearfish also called off classes, as did the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City. Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb., closed at noon.

And schools weren't the only thing closing.

Rapid City Regional Hospital announced the closing of its John T. Vucurevich Cancer Care Institute, and Family Medice Residency Clinic in Rapid city, as well as the Queen City Regional Medical Clinics in Spearfish and its clinic in Sturgis.

Offices at the Pennington County Courthouse closed at noon. And the City-School Administration Center planned to close either by 1 p.m. Monday, as was the nearby Journey Museum.

Rapid City Regional Airport officials said that winter storm conditions were making traffic in and out of the airport difficult. According to a news release from the airport, passengers should expect delays and possible flight cancellations. Travelers are encouraged to check with their airline on the status of a scheduled flight and local road reports before traveling to the airport.

City officials meanwhile closed Rapid City's regional municipal landfill as gusty winds made conditions too dangerous for standard car and truck travel there.

Even local law enforcement had cancellations. The evening session of the Pennington County 24/7 program was canceled after 2 p.m. According to a news release from Pennington County Emergency Management, Tuesday's 24/7 status is still pending.

In the Northern Hills, Lead city officials said snow removal crews would work to keep arterial roads open throughout the day but that side streets would likely remain untouched until after the snow subsides. According to a news release from the city, crews might be forced to retire earlier in the day and gear up to battle the mounting snow on Tuesday.

Deadwood officials have canceled trolley service today and later today will decide Tuesday's trolley schedule. For more information, call 574-2622.

In Belle Fourche, the city's Legal and Finance committee meeting was moved to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. The Public Works meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday has not been canceled.

Other weather-related postponements and closings include:

• Monday's Black Hills Heritage Festival meeting has been postponed until Friday at 6 p.m. at Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn.
• Postponement of the Sturgis Bike Week, Inc., liquidation auction scheduled for Tuesday. The event will take place at 10 a.m., Saturday at the Thunderdome east of Sturgis along Highway 34. It is next to KickStart Travel Center.
• Postponement of the 2008 annual meeting of the Central States Fair orginally scheduled for Monday. The event will be March 30 at the Fine Arts Building at the Pennington County Fairgrounds. Mixer begins at 6 p.m., with the meeting starting at 7 a.m.
• The Sanford Laboratory at Homestake and Lead-Deadwood High School have canceled Tuesday evening's free presentation of "Neutrinos and Dark Matter in the Black Hills." The event will be rescheduled. The same lecture in Rapid City at the Dahl Fine Arts Center, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, has not been canceled.
• A public meeting for the Elm Avenue Reconstruction Project, Phase 3 & 4 scheduled for Tuesday at South Middle School was canceled.
• Learn to Skate classes at Roosevelt Ice Arena in Rapid City have been canceled for the evening.
• The Rapid City Swim Center pools were to close at 2 p.m., with all evening programming canceled. Programs will resume when weather allows. For more information, call 394-5223.
• Lead City Hall has been closed and this evening's city commission meeting has been canceled.
• Mount Rushmore has been closed for the remainder of Monday, but officials said they plan to reopen Tuesday for regular hours, pending weather conditions.
• A FEMA meeting planned at Spearfish City Hall for Tuesday evening has been postponed. No date has been set for its rescheduling.
• The High Plains Jazz Festival concert, featuring the Stephen Anderson Trio and the Chadron State College Professors of Jazz, will still be in Memorial Hall at 7:30 p.m. tonight for those who are already in Chadron and can get to the concert safely.

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